Accepting Israel A Must for Peace

In a secret Cairo meeting on Wednesday April 27, rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have agreed to a reconciliation deal to form an interim government and hold general elections within a year. According to Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, “all points of differences have been overcome.”

There has already been reaction to the informal announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Obama Administration. Regarding reconciliation and forming a government, Netanyahu spoke of the inability to carry out peace negotiations with a government that includes Hamas, an organization that will not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Speaking to the Palestinian Authority, he states: “You can’t have peace with both Israel and Hamas. Choose peace with Israel.”

The US National Security Council spokesman, Tommy Vietor, reconfirms “the US support of Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace. Hamas, however, is a terrorist organization which targets civilians. Any Palestinian unity government must accept Israel’s right to exist and renounce terrorism – a condition not acceptable to Hamas.” The acceptance of Israel’s right to exist as part of a peace agreement had been set by the US-guided diplomatic group known as the Quartet, which includes Russia, the UN and the EU.

In light of the growing efforts of the Palestinians to form a state of their own, there is much motivation to form a united interim government necessary for the process to move ahead in the United Nations. Given Hamas’ outspoken hatred of Israel, its existence and its prosperity, one has to wonder what kind of reconciliation the two sides have agreed upon to create a unity.