by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Octorber 15, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

ogged down in Iraq, President George W. Bush renewed his push for a Palestinian state, bypassing Hamas and negotiating directly with Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shuttled between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, hoping to resuscitate the moribund peace process, laid to rest by former President Bill Clinton only days before the 2000 presidential election. Clinton's last-ditch attempt brought the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak within centimeters of a deal, ending in failure with Arafat declaring at new Intifada or revolt. Several years of suicide bombing forced Israel to build its controversial security fence, a major stumbling block in today's negotiations. Unlike today, Arafat had control of the West Bank and Gaza, giving him supreme authority to negotiate a peace deal.

     U.S. policy has Rice negotiating with only half of the Palestinian government, bypassing Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip. Hamas swept into office by a popular vote Jan. 27, 2006 with a decisive majority in parliament. Hamas, a militant Palestinian group founded in 1987 as an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood by the late paraplegic Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, is regarded as a terror group by the U.S. State Department. After numerous Hamas suicide bombings, Israel assassinated Yassin March 22, 2004. When al-Rantissi took over, it didn't take long for Israel to get him April 17, 2004. Now in control of Gaza, Hamas is committed as ever to the destruction of Israel and rejects any attempt by Abbas to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. When Rice talks about pushing for a new Palestinian state, she's talking about excluding Hamas.

     Even for the mild-mannered Abbas, getting a deal on a new Palestinian state won't be easy. Palestinian negotiators still don't know what to do with the refugee problem—a deal-breaker for Clinton—Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the final status of Jerusalem. “Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Rice declared in Ramallah standing next to Abbas, hoping to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas to make needed compromises. Yet no matter how many compromises Abbas makes, he doesn't speak for Hamas, still committed to the destruction of Israel. White House strategists pretend that they can negotiate with Abbas when he's not in charge of the duly elected Palestinian government. Striking a deal with Abbas won't be accepted by Hamas leader, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, opposed to any peace deal.

     Before the administration schedules a Mideast summit, they need to bring Haniyeh into the peace process. Any deal negotiated would not involve Gaza, where some 1.4 million Palestinians currently live. As long as Hamas remains at war with Israel—and to a great extent the Palestinian Authority—any negotiation with Abbas is doomed to failure. Clinton couldn't pull off a deal in 2000 when he negotiated with Arafat as the sole Palestinian authority. Rice wants Olmert to commit to a working outline for a negotiated deal before the summit scheduled for November. Abbas wants a timetable from the Israelis but knows he can't speak for Hamas. White House officials are kidding themselves about negotiating a deal bypassing Hamas, the duly elected Palestinian government. Any peace deal requires Palestinians to come under one supreme authority.

     Rice can't have it both ways: Negotiating with Abbas and pretending Haniyeh and Hamas don't exist. Any deal reached by Abbas and Olmert would be dismissed by Haniyeh, prompting either a civil war or Hamas' continued guerrilla war against Israel. “I wanted to say in my own voice to be able to say to as many people as possible that the United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future, not just of Palestinians and Israelis but all for the Middle East and indeed American interest,” said Rice, forgetting that any deal without Haniyeh would involve a three-state solution. Without bringing Hamas to the table, U.S. efforts to facilitate negotiations between Abbas and Olmert will be worthless. Before holding a futile Mideast summit, Abbas must mend fences with Hamas or risk an endless civil war.

     White House officials and Palestinian and Israeli negotiators must stop pretending that Abbas is the legal authority with whom to negotiate Palestinian statehood and a comprehensive Mideast peace. Mideast summitry shouldn't be used as a diversionary tactic away from other foreign policy failures. With the Iraq war nearing its fifth year, the White House should get serious with Congress about finding a coherent exit strategy. Staging another Mideast peace fiasco won't help the administration's legacy, no matter how much they seek a diversion from Iraq. “We frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a photo op” said Rice, concerned that neither party is ready to do the heavy lifting. Whether Rice likes it or not, she must face reality and deal with the fact that Hamas, Palestinian's duly elected government, has been excluded from the peace process.

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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