by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 16, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

ith immigration reform all but dead, President George W. Bush announced his plans for Mideast peace, planning to convene a Fall international conference headed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Bush plans to invite Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, ignoring Hamas, the Palestinian's duly elected government, that seized control of the Gaza Strip June 14, 2007. Rice plans to ignore Hamas, directly negotiating with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas whose rule controls the West Bank. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh rejects Bush's plan to circumvent Hamas, vowing to fight any move to annex Palestine land without a legitimate mandate, i.e., a vote. Rice intends to work with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Abbas “and their neighbors in the region,” to resolve stumbling blocks to a lasting peace.

      Promising to increase U.S. aid to Abbas, Bush encouraged other “donor” nations to do the same. Ignoring Hamas would inflame Islamic radicals, especially in Damascus, Syria where Hamas leader in exile Khaled Mashaal plots resistance operations. Mashaal is a devoted follower of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi both founded Hamas in 1987 as a Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood—an Egyptian-based radical Islamic group founded in 1928 by a Sufi school teacher. “Allah is our objective. The prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope,” says the Muslim Brotherhood charter. Yassin and Rantissi articulated the Hamas mission: “There is no solution for the Palestinian Question except through Jihad,” reads the Hamas charter, making peace with Israel virtually impossible.

      After Israel assassinated Yassin March 22, 2004 and al-Rantissi April 17,2005, Mashaal, his prototge Ismail Haniyeh vowed to never accept Israel, competing with the late Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization for Palestinian rule. After Arafat's suspicious but resolved death Nov. 11, 2004, Palestinians threw political support to Hamas, culminating in an historic U.N.-certified election Jan. 26, 2006, voting Hamas into power with 76 seats in parliament. Dealing with a backlash to democracy, Bush wants to ignore a free and fair democratic election voting Hamas into power. He called his new Mideast plan “a moment of clarity for all Palestinians. And now comes the moment of choice,” asking Palestinians to reject their elected government and accept Abbas and the Palestinian authority as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian government and people.

      Asking Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to support Abbas invites a possible civil war, pitting the Palestinian Authority against Hamas. When Hamas seized Gaza June 14, Haniyeh drew his line in the sand, refusing to cooperate with Abbas and the West. Bush wants support for Abbas from Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia when the populations support Hamas. Throwing money and support to Abbas doesn't resolve what to do with Hamas, the Palestinians duly elected government. Pledging $190 million for 2007 won't counteract matching sums from Shiite-dominated Tehran, who's pledged millions in aid to Hamas. Despite voted into office, Bush said Hamas “has demonstrated beyond all doubt that it is devoted to extremism and murder,” refusing to deal with Haniyeh, throwing all his support to the Palestinian Authority. Like the final days of former President Bill Clinton, Bush focuses on Mideast peacemaking.

      Bush's proposed international peace conference involves former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and new “Quartet” special envoy Tony Blair. Blair plans to work with the U.S., European Union, U.N. and Russia to forge a new deal between Israel and Palestinians. Without involving Hamas, Mideast peacemaking could spark a new civil war, where Palestinians fight among themselves for political supremacy. When the “Qartet” meets in Portugal July 19, they're going have to figure out what to do with Hamas. Given the recent row between Russia and Britain over the poisoning of scandal of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, Russian won't be in a negotiating mood. Before his death from Polonium-210, Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir V. Putin for orchestrating the political hit. Russia's support for Hamas, Lebanon-based, Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Iraq's insurgents present a serious obstacle.

      President Bush plans to throw his hat into the Mideast peacemaking ring before he leaves office in Jan. 2009. Giving unconditional support to Abbas presents problems for the U.S., unwilling to recognize Hamas. Hamas stands on solid legal ground, claiming legitimate control of Palestinian government. Before Bush and Rice inadvertently fuel civil war, the “Qartet” must look for creative ways to include Hamas without alienating Israel and Abbas. Putin will be in no mood to rubber stamp the West's disdain for Hamas, already branded a terror group. Putin, too, isn't happy about Bush's plan to install missile defense in Eastern Europe, already prompting Putin to suspend Russia's involvement in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. Before Bush miscalculates again, he should think twice about excluding Hamas in any discussion about future Mideast peace.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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