I think it’s inevitable: Hamas is coming in from the cold. These ruthless terrorists, who have gloried in their murders of civilians and called for the genocidal destruction of Israel, are (like Arafat before them) going to be accorded the respect of statesmen and invited to sit at negotiating tables. And also like Arafat, their overall goals and tactics they use to attain them will otherwise remain unchanged.
I wrote in Onward Muslim Soldiers that their commitment to the jihad ideology made them implacable foes of any negotiated settlement: they wanted Israel destroyed, and nothing less. Now they still want Israel destroyed and the Jews subjugated as dhimmis in an Islamic state, but they are seeing the value of negotiating toward that end. Jews (as well as Christians) in Israel should take note: the end of the EU’s playing ball with Hamas can only be the institutionalized second-class status of the dhimma.
From Haaretz, with thanks to Gabrielle Goldwater:
WASHINGTON – The European Union has informed the U.S. administration of a substantial shift in its contacts with Hamas. The EU decision, which surprised the Americans, allows low-level European diplomats – below the rank of ambassador – to conduct talks with Hamas representatives who are running in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. government and the EU.
The EU decision reflects a political-strategic turnaround with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and constitutes the first stage toward recognition of a terrorist group that explicitly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and views acts of terror against civilians as legitimate.