8/9/2019 A Recognition Problem

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A recognition problem

Jan 13th 2007 | JERUSALEM

From Economist.com

Unpicking the significance—if any—of aHamas leader's brief admission of the

obvious, that Israel exists

DID he or didnt he! "his #ee$ %ha&ed Mesha&' the head o( the)a&estinians r*&in+ ,amas mo-ement' seemed to so(tens&i+ht&/his

stance on Israe&. Accordin+ to Re*ters' he said that As a )a&estiniantoda/ I sea$ o( a )a&estinian and Ara demand (or a state on 147

orders. It is tr*e that in rea&it/ there #i&& e an entit/ or state ca&&ed

Israe& on the rest o( )a&estinian &and.5 ,e #o*&d not +rant ,amass

(orma& reco+nition o( Israe&' one o( Israe&s and the 6estern #or&dsconditions (or &i(tin+ their 10montho&d o/cott o( the )a&estinianA*thorit/ 8)A9 +o-ernment. :*t' he said' "he distant (*t*re #i&& ha-e

its o#n circ*mstances and ositions5a seemin+ c&imdo#n (rom

re-io*s statements that ,amas #o*&d ne-er reco+nise Israe&.

6ithin ho*rs' ,amas so$esmen in ;a<a #ere ac$eda&&in+. =ne

s*++ested that Mr Mesha&s #ords had een distorted' #hi&e another

hastened to oint o*t that ,amass osition hadnt act*a&&/ chan+ed.

And the &atter' at &east' seems to e tr*e. A&tho*+h Mr Mesha& has

more #ei+ht' &ent/ o( other ,amas &eaders ha-e said man/ times thatIsrae& is a rea&it/' that the/ #ant a )a&estinian state a&on+ the 147

cease(ire &ines 8ie' in the 6est :an$ and ;a<a on&/9' and that one da/'

erhas a(ter a (e# decades o( eace(*& coe>istence' the/ mi+ht *tthe ?*estion o( (orma&&/ reco+nisin+ Israe& to a )a&estinian re(erend*m.

More @*nior o&iticians' s*ch as ,amas ma/ors' #i&& sometimes +o(*rther and admit that ,amas #i&& ha-e to reco+nise Israe& e-ent*a&&/.

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6h/' then' the st*orn re(*sa& to @*st +o the e>tra /ard andreco+nise Israe& no#' esecia&&/ as the res*&t is the cr*shin+ sanctions

re+ime! Man/ memers o( ,amas sa/ that the/ #i&& not reco+niseIsrae&s ri+ht to e>ist and ma/ not do so e-en i( Israe& #ere to

#ithdra# ri+ht ac$ to the re147 +reen &ine5. "he o((icia& ideo&o+/

o( ,amas is c&ear eno*+h. It re(*ses in rinci&e the idea o( a Je#ishstate in an/ art o( )a&estine at a&&. Israe&s osition' on the other

hand' is that it accets the ri+ht o( the )a&estinians to a state in the6est :an$ and ;a<a' *t sa/s that the (ina& order sho*&d e set /

ne+otiation. 8A&tho*+h Israe& a&so sa/s it #ants to $ee some o( the

6est :an$s &and (or e>istin+ sett&ements and sec*rit/ *roses.9"here ma/ e another reason (or ,amass intransi+ence that has

nothin+ to do #ith Israe&s stanceB reco+nisin+ Israe& co*&d &ose it thes*ort o( its i++est (orei+n a&&/' Iran

In ractice' i( ,amas rea&&/ #ere read/ to stri$e a dea&' and i( the t#o

sides e-er #ere to sit do#n to ta&$ ao*t eace' the/ co*&d roa&/#or$ o*t a &ands#a (orm*&a that comensates the )a&estinians (or

the its that Israe& #ants to $ee. :*t to +*arantee this' the)a&estinians #ant the 147 &ines reco+nised in rinci&e as a #a/ to

+*arantee a (air s#a.

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More et*&ant&/' ,amas o((icia&s o(ten demand to $no# #h/ there is som*ch nitic$in+ ao*t a reco+nition #hich the/ sa/ #o*&d ha-e no&e+a& or ractica& -a&*ea(ter a&&' ,amas is a art/' not a state. And

Fatah' Casser Ara(ats art/' #ith #hich Israe& ne+otiated the =s&o

eace accords' sti&& ca&&s (or the destr*ction o( Israe& in its #rittencharter Ara(at *&ic&/ dec&ared the charter caduc 5 8n*&& and -oid9 in

1' *t it has ne-er een (orma&&/ aro+ated.

ertain&/' man/ )a&estinians (ee& that Israe& and the #or&d are insistin+

on the (orma& reco+nition o( o*t sheer &ood/mindedness. :*t

increasin+&/' the/ see ,amass re(*sa& to end as no &ess st*id&/st*orn. "he (aceo(( et#een ,amas and Fatah has &ed to an arms

race and an esca&ation o( -io&ence that &ea-es neither art/ #ith m*chcontro&. )o#er(*& c&ans' e>tremist mi&itants and crimina& +an+s are

mo-in+ in to (i&& the -ac**m. In its attemts to re+ain contro&' ,amas

is resortin+ to the same tactics o( cootion and stron+armin+ thatmade Fatah desised. E-en i( it #ere to do an ao*t(ace and accet

a&& the #or&ds conditions' it is do*t(*& that it co*&d reassert the ro&e it

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#as meant to &a/ as an e&ected +o-ernment. "he hairs&ittin+ dis*teo-er #ords is @*st another a deressin+ indication that neither side is

/et read/ to ma$e a serio*s *sh (or eace.