NJDC Fatah-Hamas Accord Reaction: Another Take

David A. Harris — May 5, 2011 – 6:30 pm | Comments (0) Add a comment

This entry also appeared The Huffington Post

Just two days ago, NJDC reacted to the power-sharing accord between Fatah and Hamas. While that short statement was only 167 words long, it’s been impressive watching how far some have misread it over the past 48 hours. That certain media outlets and others would purposefully do so for ideological or partisan reasons is to be expected. But to make sure they aren’t pulling along people of goodwill, let me clarify.

Aside from what we said that is similar to what so many others have said, we also merely reminded that “the status quo is not sustainable” and the only path forward “leads towards two states.” Or as Israel’s Ambassador Michael Oren said just this morning on National Public Radio, “the current situation is unsustainable… we do need peace in our region.” Just as Ambassador Oren expressed cautious optimism during this morning’s interview, so too do we believe that there could be a moment of opportunity amidst the many challenges.

But those challenges are obviously manifold. As we noted on Tuesday, Hamas simply must renounce violence, abide by past agreements and recognize Israel’s right to exist. We also said that “extreme elements of Palestinian society [have] to lay down their weapons and end this generation’s old conflict.” But in just 167 words, we thought some things could be left unsaid. For example, of course Hamas is a terrorist organization; that’s a fact, as the Administration of President Barack Obama rightly reminds us again and again.

What’s more, now is the time - if there ever was one - for Hamas to work as a government, not a terrorist entity. They must sit with Fatah and together show that they can be partners for peace. A great new start for Hamas would be releasing Gilad Shalit.

This and much more didn’t make it into a 167-word release; such are the limitations of a concise statement in which we were trying to focus on the one thread that we thought added value to the conversation - as Ambassador Oren said this morning, that the status quo can’t remain. Had we put in everything we might have liked to, we could have easily gotten to 20,000 words.

So if you are a person of goodwill who was confused for any reason by our Tuesday statement, please don’t be confused or misled. And if you’re one of those doing the confusing - especially for partisan reasons - enough already. The stakes - the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israel’s security, and peace in the Middle East - are too high for such silliness.

David A. Harris is the President and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council

Comments

There are no comments for this entry