[lbo-talk] Hamas vs. Al-Qaida... Hamas against Al-Qaida involvement in local Palestinian struggle

[kjkhoo at softhome.net]

At 11:04 am +0200 6/9/04, bryan wrote:
>http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/473991.html
>
>"Hamas's current leadership - or, more accurately, what remains of 
>it after Israel's assassinations - will not lend a hand to 
>involvement by Al-Qaida in their struggle. Like Arafat and the PLO, 
>and also like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which operates under Iran's 
>auspices, Hamas leaders view this as a national struggle against the 
>occupation, not as part of a global struggle against the evils of a 
>decadent West... Israel's government - which boycotts the 
>Palestinians' national government and no longer views it as a 
>partner for diplomatic dialogue, and is now also threatening to 
>attack Hamas leaders in Syria - is thus liable to bring about a 
>situation in which, on the ruins of these organizations, wild 
>growths that are many times crueler and more dangerous will spring 
>up."

Previously, Tel Aviv refused to deal with the PLO and aided Hamas. So 
it appears Tel Aviv hasn't learned.

But then, perhaps some such consideration as those expressed by 
Dwayne Monroe and Chris Doss in re Chechnya may be on Tel Aviv's 
mind. Coupled with some such notion -- much more relevant than that 
pertaining to the Roma -- that Arab culture is intolerant, will not 
be satisfied with the concessions that Tel Aviv is prepared to give, 
etc. At least Roma beggars can be pacified by hand-outs!

Again, perhaps there's also regret in Whitehall that they gave way in 
the Middle East and in Africa, rather than mete out the strong hand. 
Ferguson and Ignatief, it appears, are alive and well in more than 
neo-conservative and some liberal circles.

Hopefully, some sane minds might still be persuaded to give a thought 
to Danny Rubinstein and Max Hastings (yesterday's Guardian (UK)).

kj khoo