Tuesday, February 26, 2008
This is just a quick link to follow -- an "aside." These are links to interesting things that, for one reason or another, I didn't place into a full posting. Click the link to visit the full article. Go to the blog index for a regular listing of posts.
Israel E. Altman: The Hamas Dilemma: part of the problem or part of the solution? - '...Hamas is no different from its sister organizations and ideological twins. A dialogue with Hamas will not guarantee an easing of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It will grant legitimacy to Hamas to the detriment of Europe’s current Palestinian interlocutors, the Palestinian Authority. What will be the value of a dialogue conducted with the more pragmatic Hamas elements in Gaza, when the strategic decisions affecting the movement are made elsewhere - in Damascus and in Teheran? One reason "al-Fatah" was able to moderate its positions was its success in securing what it called "the independence of the Palestinian decision" from outside forces; this is not the case of Hamas. '
