No Exit
It may be true that the emerging crisis in the Palestinian territories, as Hamas takes over the legislature, could have been avoided if all sides had acted with more foresight while there was still time. Israel could have been more generous toward the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, so as to strengthen him and his Fatah party as they headed into last month’s elections. With concrete gains under his belt, Abbas might have shown his voters some benefit in his policy of recognizing Israel and cooperating with it. Abbas, for his part, could have worked a lot harder to rein in the armed gangs that were undermining Israel’s confidence in Palestinian intentions and making Israeli concessions politically impossible.
And both sides could have acted more assertively to stop the candidacy of a party that does not recognize the very structure it was campaigning to take over. The Palestinian Authority, whose legislature Hamas now controls, was set up under the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The accords did not create a sovereign state in the Palestinian territories; rather, they created a framework under which Palestinians could begin to assume governing powers and move toward independence. Until that time, Israel remains technically sovereign. For Hamas to run in Palestinian elections without recognizing Israel or accepting the accords that created those elections was illegal under the plain language of the accords and violates any logic of international behavior.
Now, however, that’s water under the bridge. The Palestinians have voted. They can claim that their democratic will should be respected. But by giving a mandate to an organization that glorifies terrorism and vows to destroy Israel, they have isolated themselves. As for Israel, it can hardly be expected to cooperate with an entity sworn to liquidate the Jewish state at the first opportunity. At the same time, Israel remains responsible for the well-being of the 3 million Palestinians under its military control. It cannot cut them off and leave them to starve. There are no good answers.
Israel’s leadership, whatever stance it adopts publicly, understands the delicacy of its current position, as Ofer Shelah reports on Page 1. It will have to walk a fine line, acting firmly against terrorism and making plain the illegitimacy of Hamas rule, while at the same time pragmatically fulfilling its humanitarian obligations. If it is wise, it will find a way to isolate Hamas without punishing the Palestinian populace and driving it to close ranks around the militants. There’s no exit down that road.
It will be tempting for Israel’s friends around the world to speak out strongly in the months ahead and demand moral consistency. What’s needed now, however, is nuance. If they are wise, Israel’s friends will give it the space to make the hard decisions it must make, both the tough and the pragmatic.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
