There is some noise in the media about the brand new PA unity government and the Abbas-Haniyeh agreement.
The breakthrough in the Abbas-Haniyeh talks came after the Hamas leader agreed to indirect recognition of Israel, senior Hamas sources said. He did this, they added, by adopting the Arab peace initiative as the basis for the new government’s diplomatic platform.
Of course, some Western newspapers are already seeing in these news a breakthrough in the Israeli / Palestinian stand-off. Some people should cool off a bit, because:
Hamas insists it will not change its charter, which calls for Israel to be replaced by an Islamic state. “We will never recognize the legitimacy of the occupation,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman.
So what does this “indirect recognition mean”? I have used the good services of a dictionary:
1. Adjective: direct
Direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short
“a direct route”; “a direct flight”; “a direct hit”
2. Adjective: indirect
Not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination
“sometimes taking an indirect path saves time”; “must take an indirect course in sailing”
This clears the issue quite effectively. So, most probably, guns and knives are passe now, and Qassam rockets and their derivatives are all the rage. A refreshing change, indeed.
I wonder how would suicide bombers be classified, though…
Cross-posted on SimplyJews
It’s very simple, Meryl. “Indirect recognition” means Hamas will say something vague that might with great effort be twisted to mean something less than “kill them all right now.” That will be enough for the US, the UN, and the EU to pressure Israel to make more concessions.