Editorial: Second Chance

Hamas would do well to accept Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ invitation into his Cabinet. It is an offer that both sides — mutually dependent on each other at this pivotal moment more than ever — will significantly benefit from. Should Hamas join Abbas’ Cabinet now, it will be able to help oversee the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a demand it has made from the start. Naturally, if Hamas is given a role, it will, by extension, help rule the area after Israel’s pullout that is set to begin in August. This will allow the movement a firm foothold in mainstream politics and the decision-making process. Hamas will ask to play the watchdog as it helps oversee what it has called “social justice” in every field and “in the fight against corruption, oppression and misgovernment.” Abbas’ invitation is also an explicit admission that he cannot ensure a safe Israeli withdrawal without help from Hamas, an admission that can only boost the movement’s standing….

This is an Arab News editorial worth taking a look at.

I think it’s pretty much on target when it says that Hamas, like it or not, is a player in seeking a solution to the Arab-Israeli trouble. But if it is going to shed its image as a terrorist organization–the only image it has for the US government and most Americans–it’s got to become political. It does perform social services for Palestinians, but it also creates and supports terror.

It it going to play a political role–and it seems that it must–then it must also move sharply away from terrorist activities and support. If it does not, it will be marginalized, not only by the US and Israel, but by Palestinians as well.