Israel should negotiate with Hamas, says former Mossad chief [W:6]

[TheDemSocialist]

A former director of the Israeli covert-action agency Mossad, who helped forge a historic peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in the 1990s, has called for the Jewish state to negotiate with Palestinian group Hamas. Efraim Halevy, who directed the Mossad from 1998 to 2002, told American television network CNN on Tuesday that numerous radical groups in the Gaza Strip would be far more threatening to Israel’s security than Hamas. Speaking to CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, Halevy said that Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, “is a very bad option” for Israel, but that the militant Sunni Islamist groups coming out of Syria and Iraq are “a lot worse” and posed a much more pertinent challenge to regional stability. He specifically mentioned the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS, which has emerged as the most powerful non-state actor in the region, saying that “ISIS has its tentacles in the Gaza Strip too”.

Amanpour retorted that, by negotiating with Hamas, Israel would effectively legitimize the militant group. But Halevy said that, while it would be “politically inconvenient” for Israel to reach out to Hamas, the fact is that Tel Aviv has been negotiating with the Palestinian group “for years”. Even though Israel and Hamas insist on refusing to publicly acknowledge each other’s existence, in reality they have been negotiating with each other for a long time, he said.

Read more @: Israel should negotiate with Hamas, says former Mossad chief

I tend to agree. Although either side likes to say that they have negotiated, in fact they have in the past, and I think this is the only way to end the attacks in the long run. Both sides have to come to the table. Sure Hamas is loosing popularity in Gaza and within the Palestinian population but they still will be a powerful political force. Both sides need to publicly come to the table and realize that both Israel and Hamas are not going anywhere for a long time.

 

[a351]

I tend to agree. Although either side likes to say that they have negotiated, in fact they have in the past, and I think this is the only way to end the attacks in the long run.Both sides have to come to the table. Sure Hamas is loosing popularity in Gaza and within the Palestinian population but they still will be a powerful political force. Both sides agreed to publicly come to the table and realize that both Israel and Hamas are not going anywhere for a long time.

@ the bold, negotiating with Hamas will not end the attacks in the long run, as Hamas is the group whose openly stated ultimate goals transcend any treaty that has been or will be agreed upon by either party. Sitting down with Hamas might help achieve a short term cease fire, but long term peace will hinge on whether or not Palestine and the remainder of the region is willing to isolate them both politically and financially.

 

[TheDemSocialist]

@ the bold, negotiating with Hamas will not end the attacks in the long run, as Hamas is the group whose openly stated ultimate goals transcend any treaty that has been or will be agreed upon by either party. Sitting down with Hamas might help achieve a short term cease fire, but long term peace will hinge on whether or not Palestine and the remainder of the region is willing to isolate them both politically and financially.

But then again the same was said about the PLO and Fatah before the Olso accords.

 

[Bigfoot 88]

Hamas will not negotiate in good faith. They violated the ceasefire, literally a couple of days ago. Not to mention, the Hamas charter demands the death of all Israelis (or Jews, I forget which). You can't negotiate with that.

Israel should put bounties on the heads all Hamas members. People who target innocents of another country and use their own as shields do not deserve to live.

 

[CJ 2.0]

But then again the same was said about the PLO and Fatah before the Olso accords.

And as it turns out those that said this were entirely right.

The PLO and Fatah used the ruse of negotiations to improve their tactical position, ready the population for a depraved terrorist war an then launch this war against Israeli civilians, using the gains from "negotiation" as springboards to better murder Israeli civilians.

 

[Serenity]

Moderator's Warning:

Moved to "Israel/Palestine/Hamas political debate and discussion specific to the current military activity" sub-forum.