Dealing with Hamas and Hizbullah

Article in Time - "Dealing With Hamas: Can the US Avoid It?"

Roger Cohen op-ed in NYTimes - "Middle East Reality Check"

Cohen urges the govt to follow Britain's lead and open talks with Hezbollah's political wing. The same should be done with Hamas' political wing. Both organizations have moderate political players (and provide social services and have major constituencies that support them...) Coopt coopt coopt.

It is important to see Hezbollah and Hamas for what they really are - mutifaceted organization with a militant wings fighting an occupation. (See Olivier Roy post below.)

He also reminds us that as long as Palestinians are divided peace efforts will fail.

Cohen mentions a most important point: "The 1988 Hamas Charter is vile, but I think it’s wrong to get hung up on the prior recognition of Israel issue. Perhaps Hamas is sincere in its calls for Israel’s disappearance — although it has offered a decades-long truce — but then it’s also possible that Israel in reality has no desire to see a Palestinian state."

Hamas could very well give up its advocacy of the destruction of the state of Israel if it is allowed at the table - they have already offered to do so in the past, to Jimmy Carter among others.

Sure Hamas officials say dumb, incendiary crap - but most important is - why do they use such rhetoric? (Frustrations of occupation and their treatment by international community. Shoot, if I won an election and was then cut off by the world I'd be pissed too.) AND, can the US and Israel be the bigger person (act like legitimate countries) and look beyond this hollow rhetoric?


Cohen also makes a nice point about war in Gaza:
"At this vast human, material and moral price, Israel achieved almost nothing beyond damage to its image throughout the world. Israel has the right to hit back when attacked, but any response should be proportional and governed by sober political calculation. The Gaza war was a travesty; I have never previously felt so shamed by Israel’s actions. No wonder Hamas and Hezbollah are seen throughout the Arab world as legitimate resistance movements."