Vice President Dick Cheney doesn't believe that Fatah and Hamas can reconcile their differences, namely that Hamas would give up their control of the Gaza Strip. That isn't exactly earth shattering news but there has been some negotiations about the whole deal via an intervention by Yemen and since Cheney spent some time with Fatah's Abbas this past week, the topic had to have come up.
But looking at it realistically, Hamas does nothing without the direction of Iran and Iran's overriding goal is the destruction of Israel - not a homeland for the palestinians. Thus, Iran is NOT going to give up control of their rocket launching pad in Gaza. In fact, Fatah is just lucky that Iran hasn't given the green light for Hamas to rocket the crap out of Fatah in the West Bank!
I'm sure during his discussions with Abbas, Cheney made it a point to stress that very fact and offer up some suggestions as to what to do with Hamas. Of all the administration heads, I think VP Cheney is probably the most realistic about the hopelessness of any peace in the region and is probably more concerned at positioning U.S. and Israel leverage in the area. At least I hope he is.
Here's the full story from Breitbart.
But looking at it realistically, Hamas does nothing without the direction of Iran and Iran's overriding goal is the destruction of Israel - not a homeland for the palestinians. Thus, Iran is NOT going to give up control of their rocket launching pad in Gaza. In fact, Fatah is just lucky that Iran hasn't given the green light for Hamas to rocket the crap out of Fatah in the West Bank!
I'm sure during his discussions with Abbas, Cheney made it a point to stress that very fact and offer up some suggestions as to what to do with Hamas. Of all the administration heads, I think VP Cheney is probably the most realistic about the hopelessness of any peace in the region and is probably more concerned at positioning U.S. and Israel leverage in the area. At least I hope he is.
Here's the full story from Breitbart.
Cheney voices doubts on Hamas-Fatah reconciliation
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday he did not believe Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would agree to reconcile with Hamas until the Islamist group gave up control of the Gaza Strip.
He was speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, a day after representatives of Abbas's Fatah faction and Hamas issued a declaration in Sanaa agreeing to resume dialogue under a Yemeni fence-mending initiative.
"My conclusion from talking with the Palestinian leadership is that they have established preconditions which would have to be fulfilled before they would ever agree to a reconciliation, including a complete reversal of the Hamas takeover of Gaza," Cheney said.
Cheney, on a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to push Israeli-Palestinian peace talks forward, met Abbas in the occupied West Bank on Monday shortly after the declaration was issued in the Yemeni capital.
The Yemeni initiative calls for the "Palestinian situation" to return to the way it was before June, when Hamas Islamists wrested control of the territory of 1.5 million people from secular Fatah in fighting in June.
The West Bank-based Palestinian leadership made clear in a statement after the Sanaa declaration was issued that it continued to demand, as part of any renewed dialogue with Hamas, that its rival give up control of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas rejected that position, saying articles of the Yemeni plan were up for negotiation.
Hamas opposes Abbas's U.S.-brokered peace talks with Israel, which the United States hopes can lead to a Palestinian statehood deal before President George W. Bush leaves the White House in January.
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