If R2P will not save lives as quickly as one would like it to, its application to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can serve the search for a peaceful and just solution.
The Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, if implemented, will have serious consequences for the Palestinians who have been deeply hurt by the division and its ramifications.
Designating and even vilifying actors with the label of ‘terrorist’ is a highly subjective matter. So how do we address the issue of negotiating with ‘terrorists’ without drowning in a quagmire of subjectivity?
Operation Pillar of Defense has demonstrated Israel’s growing military capabilities, enhancing its deterrence against Hamas. Yet, this situation may not last for long.
Even while the prospects of reconciling Hamas and Fatah’s conflicting visions for the future are dim, Egypt has emerged as the only Middle East mediator trusted by both sides.These achievements represent the efforts of the transitional military regime to lift Egypt’s regional status out of the slump of the Mubarak era.
Salam Fayyad, the western-educated economist/Prime Minister of the West Bank, has been the point man for western backed development efforts throughout Palestine. With the controversial vote on Palestinian statehood approaching and the reconciliation of Fatah and Hamas nearly complete, Fayyad may soon find himself a victim of the inconsistencies and contradictions in his national strategy.
Israel would be in a better position if it accepted the Arab Peace Plan put forward by Saudi Arabia and addressed the sixty years of UN resolutions that deal with the unilateral decision making of the Palestinian National Authority. That way Israel would benefit from normalised relations with Arab nations, which is more conducive to its national interest.
Hamas is currently treading a very risky line. For the Salafi-Jihadists, Hamas has de-legitimised itself as an Islamic group and as a leader of the resistance against Israel. Rather ironically, Hamas will be better off in the short term continuing to simultaneously straddle positions of moderation and extremism – basically maintaining the status quo.
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