British government urged by MPs to talk with Hamas’ “moderates”

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At long last British MPs have come to realize that Hamas is here to stay and that there can be no peace in the region without the involvement of the Islamist group. In a report created by the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Gordon Brown’s Labour government is urged to change its approach towards the Gaza-based group.

 

Hamas members are seemingly adept at straddling the political and military spheres

 

According to the report, the Quartet’s approach towards Hamas has failed to deliver any progress in the Middle East peace process, therefore a more inclusive approach is required. As it stands, prior to any engagement with the proscribed “terrorist” group, three conditions must be met. Firstly, Hamas must recognize previous agreements made with the Israelis by the PA. Secondly, Hamas must renounce violence. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Hamas must recognize the right of the state of Israel to exist, not merely its existence as a political reality.

 

The committee’s chairman, Michael Gapes, claimed that the current policy of non-engagement was “ineffective,” and added that the government ought to, “urgently consider engaging with moderate elements within Hamas,” as had been done with Hezbollah in the past. Gapes pointed out, wisely it must be noted, that the Quartet’s objectives are completely unrealizable without the cooperation of Hamas. Only when Hamas is included can it moderate its maximal objectives, and the Quartet’s goals become realizable, is the rationale.

 

Political supremo Khaled Mashall is likely to be one of the moderates we need to include

 

It’s also good to see that Gapes’ committee is aware of his parliamentary duty to represent the views of his parliament’s constituents, unlike the incumbent British government or the puppet installation in Ramallah. In an effort to do so, Gapes’ report condemned continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza strip. Gapes furthermore demanded unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance, which you might like to think would be taken for granted in this twenty-first century, but alas it is not.

 

In a bizarre episode of naivety, however, the committee called for elections that could be accepted by all parties. Forgive me for a moment, but what about the PLC elections in January 2006 that Hamas won? Why can’t we realize that Hamas is going to be reluctant to take part in any elections in the near future because its victory in 2006 had effectively become ignored by the summer of 2007? You can’ t have democracy if you won’t respect the results of a democratic election. If the Palestinian people want to elect Hamas, then Hamas we must all learn to deal with. Otherwise, you have to be candid and admit that you’d rather have an acquiescent puppet government instead of democracy. You can’t have both.

Hamas' support in the Palestinian territories was strong in 2006, but doubts exist over its constituency following Operation Cast Lead

 

For that very reason, the emphasis of this report is indeed very encouraging. How this translates into policy is another story altogether, particularly given that the EU and Israeli-American sponsored Fatah-run PA feel they have a right to proscribe all of Hamas’ democratically elected parliamentarians as “terrorists” without even attempting to include the moderates among them.

 

Yes, Hamas does target civilians with its rocket attacks, it should be noted. However, the Israeli incursion into the Gaza strip has demonstrated that we can’t simply pick sides in this conflict; Israel is certainly not the saint that we seemingly desire Hamas to be. Both are equally reprehensible for their treatment of civilians. Hamas for targeting civilians directly, Israel for its flagrant disregard for human rights demonstrated by its blockade of Gaza and carpet-bombing of the coastal territory this past winter.

 

It’s about time we get over the stigma attached with “negotiating with terrorists” and realize that this philosophy hasn’t got us anywhere to date. How exactly the offering of an olive-branch constitutes capitulation I don’t know. Capitulation is the status-quo; an entirely preventable humanitarian catastrophe.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become critical following the Gaza War

 

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Filed under Britain, Fatah, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Operation Cast Lead/Gaza War, Palestine, Peace Process

Tags: Blockade, Britain, Civilians, Elections, Engagement, EU, Gaza, Gordon Brown, Hamas, humanitarian, Inclusion, Israel, Mashall, Middle East, Negotiating, Palestine, Peace, Quartet, Terrorism, Terrorist, UK