Following the PLO
The meeting between former US president Carter and Khaled Meshaal of Hamas is reminiscent of the time the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was being courted by the Americans. At the time, pundits claimed that Palestinian resistance diplomacy was making a breakthrough at last -- the same argument we now hear from Hamas leaders. No matter that Carter said some nasty things about Hamas before going to Damascus. Hamas leaders seemed to cherish the moment.
Carter called the men who fire rockets from Gaza "criminal" and unethical, stopping just short of branding them terrorists. So what is Hamas so thrilled about?
If anything, it was Carter's remarks that were unethical. What kind of ethics leads one to chastise a nation currently subject to a virtual holocaust? And yet Hamas is desperate for a diplomatic breakthrough. It is desperate for any move that would rehabilitate it on the international scene. At some point this wish may come true, but only at a price; one that Carter, with his modest international standing, may not be in a position to name.
In general, the meeting between Carter and Meshaal was groundbreaking. Hamas is apparently willing to do something about its international reputation and has been toning down its rhetoric. Currently, Hamas is hinting that it may accept a state in the West Bank and Gaza, endorse temporary borders, and agree to a long-term truce. Hamas has made concessions in the past. When it took office, it agreed to practical talks with the Israelis on social and economic matters. Its current pragmatism is therefore not unprecedented.
For the time being, Hamas seems willing to go down the same path once taken by the PLO. It is sending out feelers and exploring its options, its aim being to have a key role in any future diplomatic activity. One wonders, however, what's on Hamas's mind. There is some wavering within the movement that once prided itself in being a revolutionary Islamic group of the incorruptible type -- the type that doesn't sell out.
The former US president is relaying messages back and forth between Hamas and Israel, and perhaps between Hamas and the US administration. While in Damascus, Carter urged Hamas leaders to show more flexibility towards Israel, hinting at a possible meeting between Hamas officials and Israel's deputy prime minister.
As yet it is unclear how far Hamas is ready to go. Will it do exactly as the PLO did, recognising Israel and promising to live in peace alongside it? Ever since the first Intifada, Israel has been trying to get Hamas to do just that. Will Hamas remain Hamas if it does?
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/894/ed.htm