Hamas: Some Sort of Truce With Israel?

"One of the most fraught and contentious issues to follow the Hamas victory in Palestinian elections is question of its pledge never to recognise Israel.

The issue of recognising Israel is emerging as the chief international objection to the Islamic militant movement's taking its place as the Palestinians' elected representative on the world stage".

So reports BBC News here. The article makes for worthwhile reading for it actually sets out the 1988 Hamas Charter. Reading the so-far unrenounced Charter it is difficult to see how Israel can sit down with a party which sees jihad as its objective to free Palestine.

How Hamas and Israel will ever come to an accomodation remains a puzzle with both sides seemingly in entrenched positions. Perhaps in the end pragmatism - that is money - will see Hamas at least come to the negotiating-table and ultimately agree to some sort of truce, even if not recognition per se of Israel.

Meanwhile read this interesting interview / report from the West Bank published in The New Yorker.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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