[Allan Topol / AllanTopol.Com]
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Holding the Line on Hamas
by Allan Topol, [IMAGE]2005

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT MILITARY.COM, March 02, 2006

Photo Courtesy: Julie Zitin
[Allan Topol / AllanTopol.Com] Following the election of Hamas, an avowed terrorist organization, President Bush and Condoleezza Rice had an excellent plan. In exchange for recognition and the continued flow of funds to the Palestinians, Hamas should agree to renounce violence and terrorism, accept Israel, and promise to implement agreements which prior Palestinian governments had executed. Criticized for going it alone on past foreign policy issues, the Bush administration began an intensive effort to organize a coordinated approach along these lines.

The objective was worthwhile. The stakes for the United States are far broader than the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The attacks on 9/11 and bombings in Spain, London and elsewhere in Europe have demonstrated that radical Islamic groups are at war not only with Israel, but with the United States and the rest of the western world. Terrorism and suicide bombs studded with nails, glass and human feces are their weapons of choice. To compromise or show weakness to any of these organizations makes the United States and Western Europe more vulnerable to future attacks.

In its current posture, there should not be any dealing with Hamas. That organization’s covenant or constitution flatly declares “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.” Backing up this rhetoric, Hamas has been responsible for numerous suicide bombings, killing scores of people and injuring thousands.

Had other nations demonstrated solid support for the approach outlined by the Bush administration, then Hamas might have been forced restructure itself into a peaceful political movement if it wished to govern the Palestinian territories. The problem is that the initial expressions of support lasted barely two days.

Long before Hamas began to feel any pressure, Russian President Putin broke with the American position by inviting Hamas to send a delegation to Moscow. Within hours, French President Chirac, who has become increasingly mercurial, promptly agreed with the conciliatory Russian effort to begin discussions with Hamas even though they did not renounce violence. Chirac is becoming an enigma, calling one day for the use of nuclear weapons against terrorist organizations, and on the next joining with Putin to recognize one of these organizations. Chirac has apparently forgotten, or decided to overlook, the risk posed to his own nation from radical Islamists who staged the first of what will undoubtedly be many conflagrations only weeks ago.

Then there is the question of money. As a result of corruption and theft of billions of dollars by Yasser Arafat and his cronies in the Palestinian authorities, the Palestinian government is on the verge of bankruptcy. The critical point is that with the Palestinians badly in need of money, the United States and its allies have leverage to assert over Hamas in order to force changes in its political outlook.

Even on money, the United States has not been able to hold the line. Only days after the Hamas election victory, Jimmy Carter appeared with an article entitled “Don’t Punish the Palestinians,” who after all voted for Hamas. Carter’s thesis was that maintaining the flow of funds would cause Hamas to moderate its negative policies and lead toward a lasting a peace. The absurdity of the position is clear from its statement. It should be remembered that Jimmy Carter knows a thing or two about radical Islamic organizations. He led the United States with such brilliance during the Iranian hostage crisis in which the mullahs in Tehran repeatedly humiliated the United States.

In the search for support to cut off funding for Hamas, Condoleezza Rice journeyed to the Middle East last week. In Egypt, she received a resounding “no” from President Mubarak, the recipient of billions of dollars of United States aide each year. In an effort to quell the growth of radical Islamic groups within Egypt, President Mubarak intends to transfer money he receives from the United States to Hamas. Then there is our erstwhile ally, Saudi Arabia. Once again, the Saudis, in saying “no” to the United States, demonstrated a willingness to fund still another terrorist organization along the lines of Al Qaeda, which has received much of its funding from various sources within Saudi Arabia.

As developments have proceeded in the last two weeks, the United States is becoming increasingly isolated on still another Middle Eastern issue. That does not mean that we are wrong. The American position is absolutely correct. We must stick to our principles.