No Talking In The Middle East

Among the first statements to come out of the Middle East after the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections were these reported by the BBC and MSNBC:

Another Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, warned that Hamas would not hold peace talks with Israel.
"Negotiations with Israel is not on our agenda," he said. "Recognising Israel is not on the agenda either now."

“The state of Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian administration if even part of it is an armed terrorist organization calling for the destruction of the state of Israel,” [acting Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert said in a statement issued after an emergency meeting with senior Cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and acting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

They have that in common at least. Not that talking would do much good. How do you talk to somebody who is committed to your destruction? The victory by Hamas shows that Israel is right to disengage from the Palestinians and to set its own borders unilaterally. What may not have been clear to others before the Palestinian election now must be crystal clear. There is no peace process and there is no hope of peace between Israel and Palestine in the near term.

What with the situation in Iran and now Palestine, the year 2006 is looking to be an even bloodier year than the first 5 years of the 21st Century. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

-tdr