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Vaeira 5766
By Rabbi Dr. Barry Leff
Congregation B’nai Israel
Toledo, OH
If I were a Palestinian, I would have voted for Hamas in Wednesday’s
election.
Most Palestinians did. Hamas won 76 of the 132 parliament seats, while Fatah
won a mere 43 seats, with the remaining 13 going to a smattering of others.
I would not have particularly cared that many Jews are frightened and
dismayed by Hamas’ victory. And it’s pretty easy to understand why many Jews
are concerned.
The charter of Hamas, officially called “The Covenant of the Islamic
Resistance Movement (Hamas)” calls for the destruction of Israel, using
violent means. The charter says "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes
that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem
generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be
squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. "
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.
Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time
and vain endeavors."
At an assembly in Damascus last month, Khaled Mash'al, a Hamas leader,
affirmed: "This assembly holds special significance, since it takes place
after Gaza was liberated against the will of the Zionist aggressors. Who
knows when we will celebrate the liberation of Gaza, Jerusalem, Haifa,
Jaffa, and all the rest of Palestine. Hamas, together with the Palestinian
people, will implement its policy using a new language, without feeling any
urge to meet with the enemy or negotiate with it. Was Gaza liberated through
negotiations?! Hamas will continue to wield its weapons and to [claim] its
right to resist. Resistance will [continue to] be a strategic option until
the last piece of Palestinian land is liberated, and until the last refugee
returns."
Just the sort of rhetoric that infuriates us. Hamas claiming that the Gaza
withdrawal was a victory for terrorism, more to come. George Bush is
undoubtedly wondering whether his call for democracy throughout the Middle
East as a response to terrorism is such a good idea. It must not ever have
occurred to him that they just might elect the terrorists. If we didn’t want
them to vote, we shouldn’t have given them a democracy.
In this week’s Torah reading, Vaeira, Egypt is hit with seven of the ten
plagues. After each one, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened against the Jews. Does
the election of Hamas indicate a bad case of atherosclerosis amongst the
Palestinians? Have they hardened their hearts, are they renouncing the path
of peace choosing the path of violence? Will it never end?
I don’t think that’s how to read the election. But if the election of Hamas
does not represent a hardening of the collective heart of the Palestinians,
just what does it represent?
It represents the frustration of the Palestinian people. They’ve had it with
current clique running the Palestinian Authority. Fatah has been in power
for 12 years, and what do the Palestinians have to show for it? No state, no
jobs, no economy, and corruption on a scale that makes Tammany Hall look
like a bunch of Boy Scouts working on an honesty merit badge.
Recent polls show some seemingly conflicted and confusing data amongst
opinions of the Palestinians. On the one hand, more Palestinians favor
co-existence with Israel. More Palestinians oppose the use of terror. A
recent poll showed that most Palestinians believe Fatah will do a better job
of negotiating peace. Yet they elect a party that opposes co-existence and
remains committed to violence, even if they say they may honor a cease-fire
as a temporary measure. So what gives?
The Palestinians have despaired of peace. The Fatah led government has been
in power for 12 years. They signed peace agreements at Oslo, had conferences
in Madrid, Camp David, and Taba, they’ve had an intifada and a road map. And
yet there is still no peace, no country, no economy, and half of the foreign
aid money going to ten percent of the population who collect it with the
help of relatives on the PA payroll with fictitious jobs. Mahmoud Al-Zahar,
a leader of Hamas said in a debate that the money has gone to “the colonel,
the colonel-ess, his son, his daughter.”
So even though the Palestinians believe Fatah is better equipped to deliver
peace, and they want peace, that didn’t influence the election—because they
believe that even though Fatah may be likelier to pursue peace than Hamas,
they won’t really be able to deliver. A poll taken not long before the
elections showed that way less than half the Palestinians believe the
elections will make much difference in their situation—regardless of which
party they support.
The Palestinians have despaired—and when you despair, who do you turn to?
You turn to God. The psalm speaks of crying out to God from the depths of
Sheol. It should come as no surprise that Muslims do the same.
Fatah is the party of the secularists. Hamas is the party of the Islamic
faithful. Fatah has become associated with things like the casino in
Jericho, corruption, and a lot of talk and little action. Hamas is the party
of the mosque, the school, and the soup kitchen. Oh, yes, and the suicide
bomber. Still, it’s no wonder they voted for a change.
A recent article in Haaretz by Amir Oren claims “Hamas' victory in the
Palestinian elections is one of the most important events in the history of
the Middle East since the Six Day War. Not only does it change the picture,
but also it puts it into a completely different frame.
Palestine under Hamas rule puts an end not only to the road map and the Oslo
process, but also to the formula embodied by UN Resolution 242: "land for
peace" and an accompanying end to the conflict. Not only does it perpetuate
the conflict, but also it reshapes it - from an Israeli-Palestinian conflict
to a Jewish-Arab one, and even a Western-Muslim one. Such a conflict, backed
by the global Jihad movement and Khomeinist Iran, has neither a solution nor
an end.”
There are those who see a frightening parallel to Germany in the 1930s. Dov
Zakheim, a former Bush administration official said "We have a situation not
unlike Germany in 1932 when we had an upstart party ruled by thugs that
preached hatred and racism, and also claimed they would clean up a corrupt
Weimar Republic. The parallels are frightening." Robert Satloff of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy said "We have seen their Weimar
stage. Now we are about to see their Nazi stage."
Call me an eternal optimist, but I would like to suggest instead of the
being a calamity for Israel, the election of Hamas might very well turn out
to be a very positive development.
First off, the PA in 2006 is not Germany in 1932. The PA has no tanks,
artillery, combat aircraft, or the factories to make them. Germany was the
most populous and economically powerful country in the region. The PA is not
even a country, and if it were a country it would be smallest and weakest in
the region.
Next, what are we losing with the fading of Fatah? Not much. Fatah makes
conciliatory sounding noises that they renounce violence. But who do they
put at the top of their list of candidates? Marwan Barghouti, who would have
trouble serving as Prime Minister, given that he is currently in an Israeli
prison, serving five life sentences for the murder of four Israelis and a
Greek monk in a terrorist attack. The President, Mahmoud Abbas always
distances himself from the “Fatah splinter groups” that conduct terrorist
attacks. But is it real? Fatah certainly hasn’t done anything to stop Hamas
and Islamic Jihad from doing whatever they feel like. Does it matter to us
that much which terrorist is in charge?
In a debate with Fatah leader Muhammud Dahlan, Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar
said: "I'm telling you that you (Fatah) are incapable of bringing about
change and reform. Only the Hamas movement is capable of this, if it
implements its platform and unites everybody around it - including Fatah and
the other factions. Only Hamas is capable of implementing a platform of real
change and reform, because you've had your chance for 12 years, since 1994,
and matters are only deteriorating."
The Palestinian public seems to agree. And maybe they are right. Fatah has
not been able to deliver peace, a nation, an economy, or an end to graft and
corruption. They have been theoretically in charge in Gaza which has
deteriorated into a state of lawlessness that makes Deadwood look like
Sylvania. Maybe some stronger leadership is needed.
Hamas is about to find itself in a position they are not accustomed to. I
think Hamas is somewhat dismayed to have won—it’s much easier to be an
opposition party, where you can criticize all you want, than to be the
governing party that has to deliver. They are going to have to start
delivering more than rhetoric. They are going to have start acting like a
government. The President of the Palestinian Authority will continue to be
Mahmoud Abbas for the next few years—but the Prime Minister will be from
Hamas, and I suspect that very quickly the role of Prime Minister is going
to become a lot more important in the PA than it has been under Qureia.
If Hamas doesn’t make some changes, they are going to find governing very
difficult.
President George Bush has said the United States will not deal with Hamas as
long as the group seeks Israel's destruction. The Europeans have said much
the same thing. The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, echoed
the sentiments of other European figures earlier this week by saying his
country should have no immediate contact with Hamas. "Those taking in part
in government must foreswear violence" and recognize Israel's right to
exist, he told Bavarian Radio. "This appears to be still a long way off for
Hamas."
But maybe not so long. The EU and the US have Hamas on their lists of
terrorist organizations. If both Europe and the US hold tight to their
promises NOT to give money to terrorists, the PA is going to find itself in
a very desperate situation. That financial aid is all that is keeping them
afloat. Their economy is totally in the toilet. Hamas built some of their
popularity on their social support network--but that network was
supplemental to the resources coming from the PA, not in place of. With the
PA spigot potentially being shut off completely, people will start going
hungry. It will be a very ugly situation.
At the same time, if Hamas says they want to maintain a ceasefire, and now
Fatah decides they are going to act up, just to show they don't answer to
Hamas, will Hamas be likelier to take action against Fatah than vice verse?
I think it is entirely possible. Hamas may hate us, but they may also be
likelier to do what they say than Fatah was. They couldn’t be any worse.
For the situation to change, what will be needed is a face-saving way for
Hamas to recognize the right of Israel to exist. I don't think the
Palestinian masses will put up for too long with life without foreign aid
AND without jobs. Once an organization gets some political power they are
loathe to give it up. The only way that Hamas will be able to stay in power
is to deliver some jobs and money, and that's not going to happen unless
they recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce terrorism. They are
going to find themselves in a very difficult spot. They will either have to
learn to sing a new tune, or they will be voted out of office in the next
elections. And no politician likes to be voted out of office.
As Muhammad Dahlan, the Fatah man, said in his debate with Hamas: "You don't
want negotiations - fine. You can explain to me... I will say it in
peasants' language: How do you plan to get the laborers to work if you don't
want them to work in Israel? How do you expect to give them jobs in the Gaza
Strip?"
"How will you take care of our daily affairs? How does your platform address
the problem of the Erez crossing? How do you plan to resolve the problem of
the transfer of merchandise? How do you want to solve the problem of a
citizen who wants to travel from Nablus to Tul Karem, when you are in
charge? Do you plan to transfer him through a tunnel or via the Internet?"
In the coming months, Hamas is going to have to start delivering to the
people who voted for them. And they are going to find they need the
cooperation of Israel, the US, and Europe if they want to see life in Gaza
and the West Bank get better.
What I pray for is that the US and Europe will have the resolve to stick to
their guns and cut off financial aid to the PA if the government is run by
Hamas and they fail to recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce
violence.
In the prayer for peace we recited a little while ago, we asked God to bless
the leaders of all nations with the power of compassion. Today, God we also
plead with you to grant our leaders and the leaders of the other nations of
the West the wisdom and resolve to deal with the current situation in a way
that will lead to a lasting peace. Instead of a hardening of the hearts, may
the new situation lead to a new opportunity to make peace. We’ve all been
suffering from the tenth plague, the death of the first-born, long enough.
Amen.
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