In one of the rare democracies in the Middle East, Palestine, the Palestinians’ choice of Hamas, instead of attracting respect and appreciation of outside bodies, disrespect and downgrade of the people have taken place, almost immediately after Hamas was declared winner in Palestinian legislative council’s elections held on January 25, 2006.
Unlike, the 2000’s Israeli elections, which brought to power the so-called Israeli doves, headed by Ehud Barak, the whole world, was outraged ‘implicitly’ by calling on Hamas, Palestinian hawks who won the Palestinian elections, to disarm and recognize Israel’s right to exist, otherwise, no single penny will be transferred to a Hamas-formed Palestinian government.
In 2000, the whole world, headed by the United States, only used words not actions, expressing dissatisfaction over the, then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak’s main NOs: ” No Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem, No return of refugees, No return to the 1967 borders, No dismantle of major settlement blocs”.
Paradoxically, many world parties, particularly the United States under former President Bill Clinton, pushed towards a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians, just to meld the atmosphere in the shadow of the Palestinian people’s outrage over the said NOs.
The Camp David talks commenced between late President Yasser Arafat and the then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, under the auspices of President Clinton, who made relentless marvelous efforts to bridge the gab between the parties, yet the Camp David failed given Ehud Barak’s intransigence over his NOs.
Millions of US dollars, in aid to the Palestinians, were offered by the international community, mainly the United States, to late President Arafat, for the latter’s approval on the Barak NOs, although the talks failed, because the Palestinian people have been apparently seeking an independent entity not an overflow of dollars.
Both the democratic choice of the Palestinian people (choosing Hamas) along with their drive to peace that is based on United Nations’ (338, 242, 194), which demand parties concerned to accept the "land for peace" formula, should rather be taken into consideration by the international community.
Our region is no longer tolerant towards more bloodshed from both sides. The rightist Israelis and Palestinians will eventually succeed to impose their own agenda that is scrambled with blood, if others will not take the proper steps towards a political solution.
