Hamas Talks, Israel Demands

Working Together. Credit: Hello Peace

Hamas has agreed to peace talks with Israel. You would think that Israel would jump at the chance to sit down at the table and work out peace with Hamas, or at least have something positive to say, I mean, it is a step in the right direction, right? Not according to the Israeli government, they simply re-iterated a list of demands that Hamas must meet before Israel will sit down at a table with them. The demands are of course outrageous, so it is unlikely there will be any peace talks. Sadly this is what counts for “diplomacy” in the USA and Israel. They make an ultimatum, then when their target refuses to give in to humiliating demands, they claim “diplomacy failed.” And if the chosen victim does give in to their demands and jumps through hoops, they simply raise the hoops and make more demands.

And this nasty diplomatic scam has grown far worse with the Bush administration in power. Israel can pretty much do what they want and Bush will give his unbridled support. So there’s at least two more years of this crap before we will see any progress made in bringing peace to the Middle East. As always, I pray it doesn’t get worse before it gets better. On the plus side, if the Apocalypse and the rapture comes, I’ll get a free car.

Just for fun though, let’s look at Israel’s demands. First off Hamas must recognise Israel’s right to exist. Since Israel does exist, and has existed since 1948, it’s hard to see this as anything but an attempt to further humiliate the Palestinians. Israel has never recognised the Palestinian’s right to have a state of their own, and in fact has actively prevented same since 1948. Basically Israel is demanding that the hostage recognise the legitimacy of the kidnapping before a ransom can even be discussed.

Secondly Israel demands that Hamas renounce violence. Yes, one of the most militarized violent governments on the history of the planet is demanding that Hamas roll over and play dead before Israel will talk. What are the chances that Israel will renounce violence? Zero, in fact Israel has ignored any cease fire ever declared by the Palestinians. If Israel refuses to have any limitations on its use of violence, why should Hamas? Thirdly Israel demands that Palestine live up to it’s obligations under treaty with Israel. Coming from he country that has defied more UN resolutions than any other nation, this is pretty rich. And considering that the Palestinians are a powerless occupied territory with utterly zero status as a nation state, again this is absurd.

The fact remains that Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for forty years and kept them in stateless limbo. Heck, Gaza has recently been converted into one giant open air prison camp. The only player in this mess with any power is Israel, and the situation that exists is one utterly of their own making. Maybe someday Israel will get a Rabin back in office and they can actually sit down again and talk to the Palestinians. Millions of Palestinians live in stateless hopeless limbo merely because of the accident of their birth. Heck, maybe Israel should just kick the Palestinians out and let them wander the earth as a persecuted minority for centuries, that’ll show em.

I know much of the above is unfair, but it pisses me off that one of the most powerful countries in the world (and easily the most powerful country in the Middle East) has managed to portray itself as victim of the people it is keeping imprisoned! God help the Israelis and Palestinians who are still working together to find peace for this fractured land.

(The above image is claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law. It is being used for peace, not profit.)