In one of the weirder bits of news of the last week, the Palestinians are reporting that Hamas has been conducting negotiations with Israel for a ten year cease fire deal in Gaza. The first report came from the Palestinian Authority controlled by president Abbas. It claimed that Hamas was negotiating a deal with Israel to make the Gaza Strip a separate entity from the West Bank. Hamas denied that almost immediately and the Israeli government said that it was not negotiating directly or indirectly with Hamas. Now the head of Hamas has announced that talks with Israel are going well. He again denies any plan to separate Gaza from the West Bank.
So what's going on? Have Israel and Hamas conducted any negotiations? The Palestinian Authority said that former UK prime minister Tony Blair is brokering the deal; has Blair even been in the Middle East recently? Why did Hamas deny negotiations one day and then three days later talk about how well they are going? Is this all just a ploy to make Hamas look less threatening? It's all very confusing.
Right now, I have to believe that no talks actually took place (although I know this may not be the case.) After all, the Israeli government would want to announce talks with Hamas, and if the secrecy of such talks were destroyed, the Israelis would rush to talk about them. On the other hand, for Hamas to admit that it is talking to Israel undermines its usual position and could lose it support among the crazies who form its base. Why say that there are talks, if there aren't any? Maybe Hamas is just trying to look reasonable.
The whole story is bizarre.
So what's going on? Have Israel and Hamas conducted any negotiations? The Palestinian Authority said that former UK prime minister Tony Blair is brokering the deal; has Blair even been in the Middle East recently? Why did Hamas deny negotiations one day and then three days later talk about how well they are going? Is this all just a ploy to make Hamas look less threatening? It's all very confusing.
Right now, I have to believe that no talks actually took place (although I know this may not be the case.) After all, the Israeli government would want to announce talks with Hamas, and if the secrecy of such talks were destroyed, the Israelis would rush to talk about them. On the other hand, for Hamas to admit that it is talking to Israel undermines its usual position and could lose it support among the crazies who form its base. Why say that there are talks, if there aren't any? Maybe Hamas is just trying to look reasonable.
The whole story is bizarre.
No comments:
Post a Comment