Despite the high stakes globally, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has always been somewhat of an eye-glazing topic for many people who should care more. So many charges and counter-charges, so much anger and emotion, so much looking backward and blamecasting, so many talking heads in "Crossfire" mode. Oy! This much is clear. Israel is not going away anytime soon. Or probably anytime before the planet Earth is eventually consumed by the sun. The Palestinian territories, on the other hand, cannot have any hope of achieving their putatively desired state of nationhood unless and until there is a clear consensus among the Palestinian people and their political leaders that Israel is recognized as a state; that Israel has a continued right to exist; and that Palestinians must forever forswear further suicide bombings against Israel. Further, it should be understood that Israel will retain the right to control immigration. As the only Mid-East democracy, Israel already exerts a powerful pull on many Arabs, quite a few of whom have gone to great lengths to become Israeli citizens; and some of whom hold elected office. Yet Israel will insist on retaining the right to control immigration by dint of its democratic process, even after any settlement creating a Palestinian nation is reached. Unhindered "right of return" for any and all comers is out of the question.

Due to centuries-old grievances on both sides, all of this is a bitter pill for some Palestinian radicals to follow. But it how things are, like it or not. The current voice of reason in Palestine's government is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party, that of the late and deservedly controversial Yasser Arafat. Fatah has had its own problems with corruption, and lost majority control of the government in elections last January to the radical Islamists of Hamas. How mule-headed and hateful is Hamas? Here is Palestine's Prime Minister, a Hamas adherent, speaking to a large crowd just the other day:

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told a huge, cheering crowd Friday that his Hamas movement will not give in to international pressure that has crippled his government, and said the group still has no intention of recognizing Israel. "I tell you with all honesty, we will not recognize Israel, we will not recognize Israel, we will not recognize Israel," Haniyeh said to thunderous applause from tens of thousands of supporters, many waving green Hamas flags, at the Yarmouk soccer stadium in Gaza City.

The cheers are largely for show, to the Western infidel media. International sanctions are taking a heavy toll, the territories are grinding into severe dysfunction, and Hamas' days in majority power may be numbered. Matthew Kalman of the SF Chron files a story today headlined, "Palestinians Losing Faith In Hamas - Trade Has Dwindled, Government Unable To Fulfill Its' Functions." He reports:

Before it won parliamentary elections, Hamas earned its popularity among ordinary Palestinians because it ran schools, hospitals and other social services without the corruption that riddled Fatah. In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, more than 140,000 government workers -- about one-third of the working population -- have not received salaries since March, the result of an economic boycott imposed on Hamas by Israel, the United States and most Western countries because of its refusal to recognize Israel, give up terrorism or honor past peace agreements. The Hamas government thought it would be able to bypass the boycott with support from sympathetic governments led by Iran, but the cash has not lived up to the promises.

Government schools have been shut since the start of the new school year in early September, the result of a strike by teachers who have not been paid since before the summer. Unpaid police are eking out a living by moonlighting or running protection rackets and debt-collection services. The price of diesel has almost doubled in the past year, and gasoline has gone up by 20 percent. Crime is rising. Armed, unemployed men -- some of them nurtured during the intifada -- have begun using their weapons to hold up gas stations and other easy prey.

For months, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas have been engaged in fruitless talks on a unity government, but Hamas refuses to recognize Israel -- a position Haniyeh emphasized in a fiery speech Friday in Gaza City. "We will not change our position on the issue of recognizing Israel, and any member of Hamas who recognizes Israel will leave the movement," said Mahmoud Zahar, the Hamas foreign minister. A poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center in late September suggested Hamas was losing the support it gained in January's election. The poll showed that 55.9 percent of Palestinians support the formation of a national unity government as the best way out of the current crisis. Moreover, 32 percent said they would vote for Fatah if elections were held today, while 21.9 percent said they would vote for Hamas.

Hamas' charter makes it fairly clear how they view Jews (Article 28).

The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions. They aim at undermining societies, destroying values, corrupting consciences, deteriorating character and annihilating Islam. It is behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds so as to facilitate its control and expansion.

This sort of poison cannot be a core value of any 21st Century government, much less one in territories locked in geopolitical dispute with a powerful adversary such as Israel. In fact, such values are a core reason for the continuance of the stand-off. It is also interesting to note, as cited in the above pull-quote from Kalman's article, that government workers comprise one-third of the working population in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. That's a pretty striking percentage. A greater emphasis on secular education, economic development, technology and global fertilization of the economy and intellectual sphere in Palestine would result in a greater balance between public and private sector employment, and boost opportunity for many of the young Palestinian men who have little hope of a decent life now.

The enemy of Palestine is not Israel, but the religious demagogues of Palestine who preach hate toward Jews and toward the nation of Israel. As a practical matter, Israel is an established political force that real grown-ups in Palestine would recognize, and seek the best possible deal with, rather than foolishly wish it away. The terms of the deal aren't going to get any better as time passes; but rather, worse. Abbas has the power to dismiss the Hamas-led parliament. He should exercise it very soon, unless there is a sudden turnabout on the part of Hamas.

TECHNORATI TAGS: PALESTINE, ISRAEL, HAMAS, FATAH, ISMAIL HANIYEH, MAHMOUD ABBAS

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at October 9, 2006 10:10 PM