Is the Arab World Allowing Hamas to Self-Destruct?

The latest Israeli-Hamas hostilities have been going on for twelve days. We've had hourly TV reports of Israeli aerial attacks on Hamas military targets in Gaza and Hamas rockets fired into Israeli cities. There's no need to review events. But what is lacking in the TV coverage is an explanation of what Hamas is. Hamas was founded to 'liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation' and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. However, because of its actions, Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and many Western and non-Western governments, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Egypt and Japan. Other states, including Iran, Russia, Turkey,China and many Arab nations do not. Since 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip, after it won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament in the 2006 elections and defeated the Fatah political organization in a series of violent clashes. ~~~~~ Fatah, formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a leading Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Fatah is generally considered to have had a strong involvement in what its factions call the Palestine revolutionary struggle from its inception. Fatah has in the past - and still does - maintain militarist terrorist groups that have attacked Israel and Jewish interests and sites, especially in Europe. It has since its inception been dedicated to Palestinian nationalism and for many years overtly refused to recognize the existence of Israel. Yasser Arafat became the founding head of Fatah in the period from 1965 to 1969, a year in which it recorded 2,432 terrorist attacks on Israel. Fatah remained identified with the leadership of Arafat until his death in 2004. Since Arafat's death, factionalism within the ideologically divided political party has become apparent. And a Hamas legislative victory in 2006 led to a split between the two main Palestinian political parties/militarist groups, with Fatah retaining control of the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Hamas taking control of Gaza. In April 2011, officials from Hamas and Fatah announced that both parties had reached an initial deal to unify into one government, with plans for elections to be held in 2012. While elections have not taken place, Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced in June 2014 that Fatah and Hamas had formed a government of national unity under Abbas' leadership. Fatah and Abbas are now marginally less hostile to Israel, recognizing that a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel problem is indicated and agreeing to recognize Israel as part of a permanent agreement. As a requirement of its joining the governmrnt of Palestinian unity, Hamas was forced to agree to the recognition of Israel as part of a permanent two-state settlement. According to Israeli news reports quoting Fatah leader Abbas, as a condition of joining the PLO, Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's political bureau chief, agreed to discontinue the "armed struggle" against Israel and accept Palestinian statehood within the 1967 borders, alongside Israel. But, as recently as July 2009, Khaled Meshaal gave details of his position -- Hamas was willing to cooperate with "a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict which included a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders," provided that Palestinian refugees hold the right to return to Israel and that East Jerusalem become Palestine's capital. And this year - in 2014 - Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, deputy chairman of Hamas political bureau, said that "Hamas will not recognize Israel", adding "this is a red line that cannot be crossed." In addition, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas affiliated military wing, has an ongoing history of launching attacks on Israel, against both civilian and military targets. Attacks on civilian targets have included rocket attacks and suicide bombings. Attacks on military targets have included small-arms fire and rocket and mortar attacks. ~~~~~ Both Fatah and Hamas have always been reliant on international donors for their survival. In the early years, Saudi Arabia supported Hamas financially, undoubtedly partly because Hamas is a sunni Moslem group. This has stopped but private Saudi donors are reportedly still contributing to Hamas. Today, Iran is the chief Hamas contributor, both financially and with the provision of military resources. The PLO/Fatah group is supported by international humanitarian organizations and countries, including the US. This provides some leverage, but not enough, because Fatah and its President Abbas continue to refuse to begin new peace talks until Israel agrees to returning to the pre-1967 war borders, something Israel insists should be part of the overall negotiation and agreement. And throughout the Arafat/Fatah - Hamas confrontations over control of the Palestinian governmental machine, much of the Arab world has questioned Israel's right to exist, or if that is accepted, whether Israel should include in its territory the areas taken during the Six Days War in 1967 - the West Bank (where Israeli settlements are a central issue), the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem (probably the most difficult issue to be decided). Add to this the 2013 UN General Assembly vote that gave Palestine provisional status at the UN - a move that Israel opposed, arguing that this should be part of the peace talk negotiations that create the two-state solution. ~~~~~ We know the recent history. On 12 June 2014, three Israel teenagers were kidnapped and murdered. Israel military initiated an operation in the West Bank to find them (not until June 30 were their bodies found). Israeli authorities have named two Hamas members as prime suspects - Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasm. The increased tensions soon escalated, and a full military operation began on July 8. Israel has since sent ground forces into Gaza to end the Hamas rocket capability and to destroy tunnels that permit Hamas to enter Israel for terrorist attacks. ~~~~~ Dear readers, if we cut through the history of the conflict that began in earnest in 1948, we come to today's issues that bedevil the long-term peace process. While there has been general reconciliation of Israel with Egypt and Jordan, Israelis and Palestinians have not been able to reach a final peace agreement. The remaining key issues are : mutual recognition, borders, security, water rights, control of East Jerusalem, Palestinian freedom of movement, and resolving Palestinian claims of a right of return for their refugees - all in the midst of a violent conflict in a region rich in historic, cultural and religious significance worldwide. In this intractable situation, the world has looked to Israel to be "reasonable" - perhaps because Fatah and, even more so, Hamas, are not reasonable. A good example of this is the fact that Hamas has launched over 1,300 rockets into Israel since Israel announced its firm intention to end Hamas rocket attack capability, literally forcing Israel into action, and then refusing to agree to two ceasefires that Israel honored. But, the fundamental question is why Hamas would join a Palestine unity government and grudgingly agree to an eventual recognition of Israel's "right to exist" - something Hamas has always rejected - and then harass Israel into action against it. The answer may lie not in Hamas strength, but in its weakness. The Saudi government has abandoned it. Hamas has lost its Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood protector and financial supporter. Abbas has made headway in making his Fatah party become recognized as the 'moderate' Palestiinian voice. Only 35 to 40% of Gaza residents believe Hamas is moving in the right direction to gain peace for Palestine, and many in Gaza hate Hamas, whom they view as their jailors. We could reasonably ask if Hamas sees no alternative to confrontation with Israel. Hamas needs money. Its donors - Iran, China, Russia, private sunni radical donors - may pay Hamas to provoke Israel for ideological and political reasons that for them have little to do with Hamas' own goals. So, Hamas, seeing a world that seems to tolerate its terrorism, may have decided to double down and confront Israel to increase its bank balance. It needs money to meet Gaza public payrolls that are in serious arrears. It needs money to pay its militants. Becoming a carbon copy of Fatah will not provide money. Attacking Israel may. And, we must consider that Israel has endured more than 20 years of Hamas rockets and suicide attacks. It seems logical that Israel would take the opportunity to destroy Hamas' military component because it knows nobody else will do it for them. The relative quiet in the Arab world about the Israeli incursion could mean that they want rid of Hamas, too. It could lead to peace talks that actually move forward.