Thursday, February 15, 2007
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Hamas-led government resigned Thursday to make room for a new, more pragmatic coalition with the rival Fatah movement, Palestinian officials said after defusing a last-minute crisis over cabinet posts and Hamas' private militia.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas travelled to Gaza and met with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, who handed in his resignation. Abbas was expected to then authorize Haniyeh to form a new coalition government.
Shortly after the resignation, the United States informed Abbas that it will shun a future unity government with Hamas because it will not explicitly recognize Israel, Abbas aides said.
Let me get this straight here. Hamas was voted in by the Palestinian people. We have legitimate gripes with how the Palestinian people voted. We have applied sanctions. In response, Hamas decided to power share with the more moderate Fatwah faction and we have already informed them that we don't give a crap, and we are still not deal with them.
This reminds me of, oh I don't know, yesterday. President Bush said he wouldn't negotiate with Iran because it wouldn't guarantee concessions from Iran. Reason #5335 why these people in the White House are idiots. The whole point of diplomacy is to negotiate with your enemies. Why negotiate with your friends? I know it's a new millenium, but rocket scientists like Bush and Condi Rice think that the sweep of human history including the whole point of diplomacy can be swept aside on their say so and things won't go to hell in a handbasket.
The Palestinians made an effort to reach half way. Blindly rejecting any chance of talks is going to guarantee more strife in the region. We could try to negotiate and either succeed or fail, but thanks to this policy, it is guaranteed.
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