Will Likud Amend Its Party Platform?

Israel's rightist prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu did not waste much time before publicly condemning the recent rapprochement between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. Netanyahu stated that Fatah, which runs the Palestinian Authority under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and is accepted as a negotiating partner by Israel, must either choose between peace with Israel or with Hamas, but not both.

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Netanyahu's thuggish rhetoric was the "theater of the absurd" on multiple levels. First, his idea of "peace with Israel" sounds laughable coming from a man whose idea of peace would never be accepted by Palestinians since it be nothing more than a Bantustan and not two states-for-two people since Israel would negate Palestinian sovereignty on matters ranging from borders, to radio transmissions, to immigration. Netanyahu's own distaste for a Palestinian state and the far-right elements in his cabinet hardly make him a credible partner, in any case. So peace with Israel, in whatever form, is not some visible prospect that Palestinians walked out of in uniting with Hamas since Israelis and Palestinians are not even negotiating at the time, and while Netanyahu utters the word "peace" he remains adamant that Israel be allowed to continue to build thousands of illegal settlements on lands which are supposed to constitute a future Palestinian state.

Second, it is not either-or but rather peace with Hamas is a necessary condition for peace with all Palestinians. In fact, Israel has said so much. Right-wing Israelis like Netanyahu have poured cold water on peace negotiations by stating that they are futile as long as Palestinians are divided since Israel cannot make peace with one group of Palestinians only to continue to fight another. And fair enough, that is true. Hamas and the 1.5million Palestinians in the occupied and heretofore besieged Gaza Strip cannot be ignored or any deal with Fatah will collapse. Hamas and Fatah need to reunite and agree to an equitable peace with Israel under the same banner to uphold the agreement. So, contrary to Netanyahu's threats, peace with Hamas may not be a sufficient condition but certainly a necessity for peace with Israel.

Third, but here many Israelis will say, "but Hamas does not believe in peace with Israel and is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. Just look at the Hamas Charter." Oy, where to begin? First, Hamas has in so many ways actually accepted the idea of Israel and its own Damascus-based leader has stated that Hamas is only committed to the liberation of Palestine in 1967 borders (i.e. the borders of a Palestinian state in a two state solution) and this comes after past statement that Hamas would accept whatever deal is acceptable to most Palestinians, which is a two state solution. True these statements have been casual remarks and not declared in an official statement, but they still carry commensurate weight. Hamas Charter? This document is atrociously anti-Semitic (and borrows from Western sources like Henry Ford's diary), but the Hamas Charter written in the 1980s should not be given a weight that even most Hamas members do not afford it. It is a relic. Should it be discarded? Yes, but that should not be a precondition for recognizing Hamas as a necessary and viable faction in a Palestinian coalition. Furthermore, have you seen the Likud party platform? This rightist document explicitly rejects a Palestinian state west of the Jordan river and champions "Greater Israel". Do any demand that Likud change its charter before a Likud primer be allowed to negotiate? You may say, "but Netanyahu accepted the principle of a Palestinian state in a public speech, a Hamas leader has yet to do so. So Netanyahu's own speech obviates the Likud platform while a Hamas leader could do likewise with his own charter." True. But Netanyahu was prime minister in the 1990s and accepted as a negotiating partner even though publicly opposing the Oslo accords and a Palestinian state. Arial Sharon, ditto. Both men were never asked by Washington to accept a Palestinian state prior to being seen as legit inter-lockers, because Washington had no choice but to deal with the men at hand and hope they'll moderate their positions. That is the same with Hamas: they are simply the power at hand and need to be accepted as invaluable negotiators and through such a process they will then be brought around to officially declare what their leader has already stated. If a Hamas leader in an interview can accept Israel, then a Hamas part of a final peace process will take the step to disregard its charter and officially declare acceptance of Israel in 1967 borders. No body asked that Likud amend its platform prior to recognizing a Likud government. The same deference and patience should be accorded to Hamas simply due to practicality.

Lastly, Netanyahu knows that Hamas-Fatah need to be reunited for peace, and that's the rub. Netanyahu does not want peace and has opportunistically and hastily condemned the deal because he wants another excuse to not negotiate, and will cite Hamas' (as yet) refusal to officially recognize Israel as reason to no longer talk to even Fatah. But what Netanyahu fears most is a united Palestinian front. The Islamists of Hamas are the consequence of Israel allocating aid to Islamists in the 1980s in order to create a cleft with left-wing Palestinian resistance groups. Israel has always sought to divide Palestinians (as far back in the early Zionist days, Zionists sought to divide Palestinians into Christians and Muslims), seeing them easier to oppress and occupy then. But Netanyahu fears that a united Palestinian government and a more functional Gaza Strip, especially as Egypt will now permanently open its Rafah border crossing, will strengthen the Palestinian proposal at the United Nations later this September to press for UN statehood recognition. If Palestinians are locked in infighting, the Israelis can say, "how can you expect us to make peace when even Palestinians will not make internal peace?" But a united Palestine and a Gaza rebuilt will only put Israel more on the defensive and increase international support for Palestine. That's what Netanyahu fears and that is his real concern for not even he believes that Hamas is not amendable. He knows Hamas can be practical, but all that is just a smokescreen for fear of a stronger Palestinian front. That's Netanyahu only card. And the Palestinians have out-played him.