Today, the leader of HAMAS, Khaled Meshaal, has said that "the movement was seeking a state only in the areas Israel won in 1967" and that they had grounded rockets. In the article, it also mentioned
On the two-state solution sought by the Americans, he said: "We are with a state on the 1967 borders, based on a long-term truce. This includes East Jerusalem, the dismantling of settlements and the right of return of the Palestinian refugees." Asked what "long-term" meant, he said 10 years.
Now I'm all for the idea of making peace, but hold on a minute here. First off, why must his "long term 'truce'" be only 10 years, and not peace, like Egypt and Jordan have done? Also, he still will have Israel be the "enemy" and not recognize its right to exist, and will not repudiate the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an anti-semitic forgery which is the basis of much of today and yesterday's anti-Semitism, and was the inspiration behind Nazism, which killed 6 million Jews in the Holocaust? He thinks we and Israel will just "ignore" HAMAS's violent charter by saying that it "was 20 years old" and giving a non-answer "We are shaped by our experiences."
Given that this guy doesn't want to make peace, and will not renounce violence, or even offer peace, but a 10 year truce, does he really expect Israel or the US to listen? Does he think we are stupid? First he wants a return to the 1967 borders, but still won't say that that would be enough for HAMAS. This is HAMAS' problem: their absolute double speak/violence. HAMAS will never win, and Abbas really has to get these clowns out of the way for there to be a State of Palestine. Why should Israel feel safe with clowns like this guy as their leaders?
The fact is Israel has a right to exist, and given today's political realities, an Arab state within the part of the former British colony of "Palestine" west of the Jordan River may be the only way to secure peace. But you don't get peace by promising more war. If only HAMAS would learn. Jihadism does not work.