Not surprisingly, Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for the terrorist organization Hamas, criticized Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his condemnation of rocket attacks against Israel. (Al Bawaba: Hamas criticizes Abbas for condemning rocket attacks).
All indications point to a sincere interest on the part of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work out a viable peace agreement. Both parties appear interested in working together to create a stable environment supportive of an Israeli state and a Palestinian state. This flies in the face of Hamas' published goals, however. Hamas has sworn to eliminate "the Jewish state." In the eyes of Hamas, there is no such thing as peaceful coexistence.
We have seen the effects of Hamas interference over the years. Agreements between Israel and the PA invariably result in bombings and rocket attacks by Hamas. The goal is clear: to disrupt and prevent a peace process. Zuhri's contention that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is the direct result of the rocket attacks could not be further from the truth. Rather, the continued attacks by Hamas have served to delay and scuttle Israeli withdrawals from the occupied territories. Several previous withdrawal attempts ended as the direct result of terror attacks by Hamas.
It's time for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to recognize that they share a common foe: Hamas. For a true peace agreement to work, Israel and the PA must first work together to eliminate that common enemy. While a peace agreement between Israel and the PA can be achieved through negotiations, one with Hamas cannot. They are the true enemy.
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IceRocket: Israel Hamas Palestinian Authority
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