Fatah wasn't merely "villainized...as an anti-Semitic terrorist group." Fatah *was* an anti-Semitic terrorist group. It was when Fatah made a strategic choice to change both its worldview and its tactics that peace became possible (changes also were necessary on the Israeli side). Unfortunately, Arafat was unable to make a clean break with the past - he wanted to both be a peace-forging statesman and a freedom fighter at once. It is a shame we did not have had Abbas 10 years ago...

Israel could talk to Fatah once Fatah was willing to accept Israel's existence and stop using terrorism to accomplish its goals. The same is true for Hamas. Until that day, there is very little to talk about.

crossatalantic: That is quite simply not a true statement on Hamas side. After the elections several of Hamas leaders opened up for acceptance of Israel. There have been several openings for negotiations, but Israel has insisted on Hamas being a "terrororganization". What impact this latest action will have on the "War on Terror" I shudder to consider...

Those who continue to delude themselves that peace is possible with Nazi Muslims have their heads buried in the sand. It's past time the Israelis enforce peace through strength, expel their sworn enemies as Moses commands and former Israeli Parliament Member and rabbi Meir Kahane courageously called for (murdered by another Arab terrorist in NYC linked to the WTC bombing), and encourage Jewish pioneers to return to the biblical territories (they were cruelly removed from by "right-wing" Ariel Sharon with George Bush, alleged "friend of Israel," aiding and abetting, rewarding terrorism and punishing the innocent).

It was purely coincidence that Dr. Zuhur's study came out at the time that the conflict between Hama and Israel exploded. It was six months in the making. And, of course, it wasn't really the U.S. Army speaking up for Hamas--the Strategic Studies Institute operates under a policy of academic freedom and all our publications indicate that they are strictly the positions and ideas of the author.

None of this means anything if we don't know who Zuhur is.

http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/people.cfm?authorID=555

Negotiations and Communications with an enemy that has the ultimate goal of completely destroying you is not an option and is in fact a fool-hearted attempt at believing in a fantasy world that doesn' exist.Most liberals live with their heads between their legs and this is a prime example of that fact.

History is full of successful negotiations with enemies who used the "we will destroy you" rhetoric. The Soviets and Chinese said it in the 1950s; the Sunni nationalist insurgents said it in Iraq; and so forth. Heck, Ronald Reagan oppened communications with Iran. The key is understanding which opponents have both the intent and the capability to do so, and which do not.

Could any Israeli truly believe that if they destroyed Hamas tomorrow, their strategic dilemma is resolved?

Fatah wanted a secular, democratic state in what is now Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

Fatah was anti-Zionist. But anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism. Claiming the 2 are the same is merely a way to smear critics of Israel.

Keep in mind that while Hamas at the end of 2006 was still openly saying "We should destroy Israel!", they were also the elected government of the Palestinian Territories, which meant they had some things to gain from negotiations and a lot to lose from their failure. Had Israel and the US not tried to immediately destroy their control, they might have empowered the political wing of Hamas at the expense of the militant wing, and worked some type of agreement out (by "agreement" I mean "de facto security agreement", not "permanent peace and a Palestinian state").

The ideal, of course, would be to bait Hamas away from anti-Israel sponsors like Iran, always ready to fight to the last Palestinian.

The issue isn't zionism, it's Judaism - there would not be 'Palestinians' camped out on Israel's border were it another Muslim nation created by the United Nations. Furthermore, all one needs to do is read the Hamas charter to understand the motives behind the terrorist organization.

How come so few people do this?

In article seven of the charter it says in conclusion:

Moreover, if the links have been distant from each other and if obstacles, placed by those who are the lackeys of Zionism in the way of the fighters obstructed the continuation of the struggle, the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah's promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:

"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Hamas insists upon the hunting and murder of Jews not because of zionism, but because of a Koranic inspiration to do so. Before zionism there was murderous hatred of the Jew, the creation of Israel on land sacred to Jews and Christians (and never sacred to Muslims) has only served to bring an ancient enemy within killing distance.

Again - doesn't anyone read the Hamas charter?

Article Thirteen:

Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion. Nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its religion. Its members have been fed on that. For the sake of hoisting the banner of Allah over their homeland they fight. "Allah will be prominent, but most people do not know."

Now and then the call goes out for the convening of an international conference to look for ways of solving the (Palestinian) question. Some accept, others reject the idea, for this or other reason, with one stipulation or more for consent to convening the conference and participating in it. Knowing the parties constituting the conference, their past and present attitudes towards Muslim problems, the Islamic Resistance Movement does not consider these conferences capable of realising the demands, restoring the rights or doing justice to the oppressed. These conferences are only ways of setting the infidels in the land of the Muslims as arbitraters. When did the infidels do justice to the believers?

"But the Jews will not be pleased with thee, neither the Christians, until thou follow their religion; say, The direction of Allah is the true direction. And verily if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, thou shalt find no patron or protector against Allah." (The Cow - verse 120).

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with. As in said in the honourable Hadith:

"The people of Syria are Allah's lash in His land. He wreaks His vengeance through them against whomsoever He wishes among His slaves It is unthinkable that those who are double-faced among them should prosper over the faithful. They will certainly die out of grief and desperation."