    Roll Back, Abbas!
    By Israel Shamir

    Mahmud Abbas, the PNA’s president, is about to do a big mistake. So big
    that it will be a cause for regret for many years to come. He decided to
    push for a referendum whether the Palestinians agree with The Prisoners’
    Agreement. The Prisoners’ agreement was made by leaders of Fatah, Hamas
    and other groups presently in Israeli captivity, so one could think it
    is a bilateral and non-controversial document. Indeed it is: this
    agreement says the Palestinians are ready for peace with the Jewish
    state on fulfilment of three conditions: (1) all POWs should be
    released; (2) Israel should withdraw to 67’ borders, (3) and accept the
    Right of Return for Palestinian refugees of 1948. The three conditions
    are fully based upon UN resolutions and on the norms of international
    law; and there is no slightest doubt Olmert’s government is not going to
    fulfill them.

    When Rabbi Akiba, a Jewish sage of 2nd century AD, got carried away and
    proclaimed a military commander of the then Jewish Intifada against Rome
    "The Messiah of Israel", his colleagues poured cold water on him:
    "Sooner grass will grow on your cheeks than we’ll see Messiah". They
    were right: Akiba was executed, and his commander was killed, and grass
    grew on their tombs. Their words are perfectly suitable for the
    Prisoners’ Agreement: no Zionist government of the Jewish state will
    ever accept and fulfill these conditions, no matter how much they’d lie
    to conceal this.

    So who needs this referendum? Next step, cats will run a referendum for
    offering peace to dogs provided they will cease to pursue them. If all
    Palestinians will answer yea, will it make the Jewish state to tremble
    and accept the conditions? No, no, and again no. Fatah and Hamas know
    that; Abbas understands that, and still he pushes for this meaningless
    referendum. He is doing this to embarrass the legitimate government of
    Palestine, for Hamas and Fatah differ on what would happen if these
    impossible conditions will be fulfilled: a life-long truce or full
    peace. This difference is as important for real politics as the
    difference between eating a boiled egg from the rounded or a sharp end,
    in Gulliver’s Travels. Even less: the Lilliputians actually ate eggs,
    while Hamas and Fatah will never have a chance to test their theoretical
    difference in real life. This does not mean these three conditions can’t
    be met; but then, Israel won’t be a Jewish state, and it won’t be led by
    a Zionist government, and the difference between Hamas and Fatah will be
    even less relevant on this point.

    Hamas is right to reject Abbas’ call. Now is not the time to deal with
    purely theoretical question of possible future. Sufficient unto the day
    is the evil thereof, or in plain words, each day has enough trouble of
    its own. (Matthew 6:34). Worse, Abbas is not playing straight. Though he
    refers to the Prisoners’ Agreement, he actually means something else: he
    is ready to agree to “peace” if some prisoners will be released, in some
    places Israel will withdraw to the 67’ border, and some (a token number)
    of refugees will be allowed back. This is also a legitimate position;
    but Palestinians can’t accept or refuse it unless the full details of an
    agreement with Israel were known. Now, in absence of an agreement, the
    referendum is not just premature: it is misleading. Let Abbas say
    frankly: “I want to make peace with the Jewish state and rule over
    Palestine consisting of three or four cantons, without Jerusalem, and
    with token release of token prisoners. And forget about the Return” –
    and then referendum will be unnecessary, for the last elections gave the
    answer of the people.

    This referendum is going to waste one of great achievements of Hamas
    government – withdrawal of unconditional recognition of the Jewish state
    made by Arafat and Fatah in the heyday of Oslo. Every agreement must be
    based on reciprocity: the Palestinians may recognise Israel in 1967
    borders if and when Israel recognises Palestine in 1967 borders.
    Otherwise, Israel will see its 1967 borders as a starting point for
    future conquests. Hamas returned the Jewish-Palestinian dialogue back to
    sanity by introducing the concept of reciprocity: and now Abbas wants to
    surrender this most reasonable demand by recognising the Jewish state
    unconditionally.

    The Jews applied a “moderate physical pressure” (torture, in Shabakese)
    trying to squeeze this recognition: they besiege Palestine, they steal
    Palestinian money, block entrances and exits; by their orders no
    American or European bank dares to trade or transfer money to Palestine.
    The Jews want Palestinians to surrender; and the referendum may be seen
    as a sign of surrender. Thus, it would have dire consequences: Hamas’
    legitimacy will be called in doubt by its own electorate; freedom of
    manoeuvre so necessary for carrying out negotiations with Olmert’s
    government will be severely limited; the split within Palestinian
    society will become a fait accompli.

    The Zionists tempt Abbas to grasp more power than is due to him; to
    interfere with rightful choice of the people; to disregard the election
    of Hamas. Abbas took the bait: he succumbed to the Zionist temptation.
    He forgot that he is the President of all Palestinians and preferred to
    be the king of Fatah. He forgot that just a few months ago, Sharon and
    Olmert proclaimed him “irrelevant” and “not a partner” – now he dreams
    to crawl back to empty negotiations. This call for referendum is
    accompanied with beefing up of Abbas’ own private army. Israel’s wet
    dream is to have a civil war between Palestinian groups, and this rash
    step of Abbas leads on the way to Hell. He should remember that
    undermining of Hamas will not solve the problem; it will rather
    undermine legitimacy of his PNA. Before it’s too late, Abbas should rise
    up to the occasion and roll back his troops and his demands.

    www.israelshamir.net