Imaginary Coalitions -Caroline Glick
The Olmert government's policies towards Hamas today are driven by its presumption of a partnership with Fatah and Egypt. The government asserts that both Fatah and Egypt share Israel's goal of limiting Hamas's power to the Gaza Strip in the short run and overthrowing the jihadist movement in the long run. But reality tells a different tale.
This week, we learned that the $100 million that Israel transferred to Salaam Fayad's Fatah government last month was used to pay the annual salaries of soldiers in Hamas's army in Gaza. Then too, this week it was reported that far from eschewing Hamas politically, Fatah is engaged in intense discussions with Hamas towards the establishment of a new Hamas-Fatah government. Far from cooperating with Israel in weakening Hamas, Fatah is actively maintaining Hamas's strength.
Rather than acknowledge that Fatah, Egypt and UNIFIL share none of Israel's national interests, the government continues to embrace them and hopes that no one will notice that its imaginary coalition partners endanger, rather than advance Israel's national security.
[Jerusalem Post]
[Art Credit: Le collectionneur by Gilbert Garcin]
2 comments:
One could look at some of this a little differently. Fatah, by funding these Hamas obligations, is showing the people they are the better choice for their future, just as Hamas first tried to do when it took over and did similar acts. The funding of soldiers payroll is not the same as paying Iran for weapons. The soldiers, could, possibly see where the money is, and where it comes from, and realize they are not in the right place for the next batch. It may or may not succeed, but starving and poverty stricken fence-sitters are less likely to fall onto the side of moderation---that we do know.
Optimism isn't often reinforced when looking at Palestinian trends. At one time i would have predicted that [given the right formula] peaceful co-existence could be realized.
Time has brought me to the conclusion that changing the formula will do nothing to change the outcome.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't try...but i'd bank on my adage that the best predictor of human behavior is past human behavior.
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