A new poll shows growing support for the Islamist Hamas movement in both the West Bank and Gaza. If the elections were held today, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would beat Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Two days after the terrorist group Hamas swept last week\’s Palestinian elections, Rabbi Steve Jacobs ended Shabbat services at Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills with this striking comparison.
\”Mr. Begin was a terrorist, Mr. Shamir was a terrorist, Mr. Sharon was a terrorist,\” Jacobs said to his Reform congregation. \”History is replete with negotiations that took place with terrorists. Two days ago, Hamas didn\’t have to worry about paying civilians and creating an infrastructure.\”
Jacobs\’ branding of three Israeli prime ministers as onetime terrorists was jolting, even upsetting, to some in the audience. But Jacobs\’ point was clear: The Hamas victory did not necessarily spell doom to a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestinians.
All those people who say \”Munich\” reaffirms the universal truth that \”violence begets violence\” should think hard about the\n\nPalestinian elections, where violence begat an electoral sweep.\n\nSo much for universal truths.\n\nGandhi said, \”An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind,\” and in the long run, who knows, he may be proven right.\n\nBut in the near term, Hamas, an organization whose existence is rooted in hatred and terror, has proven one of my personal universal truths: The craziest guy in the room usually gets his way.
You have to judge politicians, especially those running for prime minister, without sentiment. And if they\’ve changed direction, you have to give more weight to what they\’ve done lately than what they did before. Unless the candidate is a truly malevolent character, you have to judge him or her on two things: leadership ability and political direction. And on that basis, I think Olmert is better suited to be prime minister than anybody else around.
According to last week\’s Shin Bet report, arms smuggling into Gaza has skyrocketed sixfold since Israel left during the summer. In the West Bank, terrorists have already test fired a rocket in a bid to emulate the tactics of their Gazan comrades.
Hamas, the Muslim fundamentalist movement and Palestinian terrorist organization, may soon become a decisive force not only in the struggle against Israel but in the Palestinian political establishment.
With Palestinian terror groups generally committed to a lull in the fighting with Israel and Arab countries debating normalizing ties with the Jewish state, some in Israel see signs that the 57-year-old Arab-Israeli conflict finally may be winding down.
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