A new dance partner for Israeli leaders
PRESIDENT BUSH'S response to the stunning victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections is to demand Hamas delete its charter's opposition to Israel, recognize Israel, and renounce violence if it wants economic aid from and talks with Washington. Israel also refuses to talk with Hamas.
Patient diplomacy, however, coupled with pressure on both sides to abide by previous agreements and international law may bring Hamas around. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization held secret talks in Norway during an intifada, and before the PLO formally recognized Israel in 1993. The PLO charter was not amended until 1998.
Hamas leaders know Palestinians still support a two-state solution: Israel and a West Bank-Gaza Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, along with some ''right of return" to Israel for Palestinian refugees and withdrawal of most or all Jewish settlers from Israeli-occupied Palestinian lands. This has been the Palestinian position since the 1993 Oslo Accords when Yasser Arafat made the major territorial concession by recognizing Israel in 78 percent of what Palestinians consider their homeland. A Palestinian state would be confined to 22 percent.
Given the corruption within Fatah, the party of Arafat and his successor, Mahmoud Abbas, even some Palestinian Christians voted for Hamas. After all, despite Arafat's acceptance of Israel and willingness to cede 78 percent of the land, Ariel Sharon and Bush refused to talk with him. When Abbas took over in early 2005, he stopped most violence, preached nonviolence, and sought negotiations. Sharon still found no ''partner for peace." If Israel would not negotiate even with Abbas, why not vote for Hamas -- at least they would deliver honest government and social services.
While Sharon said he supported a ''Palestinian state," his actions belied his words. Before and after leaving Gaza, Sharon pushed further settlement in the West Bank in violation of international law. He expanded the separation wall, much of which is on Palestinian land in the West Bank, a fact which violates not only international law, but, as Human Rights Watch reports, also the human rights of Palestinians.
Sharon did everything to undercut Abbas's popularity among Palestinians. In November, under pressure from Washington, Sharon agreed to allow Palestinians to travel between the West Bank and Gaza beginning Dec. 15. Palestinian goods, largely perishable crops, were to be allowed entry into Israel for sale there and abroad. Sharon broke the first agreement on Dec. 15; Sharon's successors broke the second agreement on Jan. 14. Vegetables and fruits now rot at the border.
In 2005, Amnesty International deplored Israel's unwillingness to stop settler violence against Palestinian villagers; Human Rights Watch accused Israel of failing to protect Palestinians from unlawful attacks and killings by Israeli soldiers.
If the US conditions aid to Palestinians on Hamas's behavior, then US aid to Israel should be tied to Israel finally heeding the US-supported ''road map" for peace. The plan requires Israel to dismantle scores of settlement outposts established since 2001, halt even natural growth of all settlements, cease all violence by soldiers and settlers against Palestinians, as well as cease the seizure of Palestinian property and destruction of Palestinian homes.
Human Rights Watch recently called on Bush to cut aid to Israel equal to what Israel spends on settlement growth and illegal sections of the wall.
If Bush wants to revive US credibility in the world, then he must oppose violence by Israel as well as Hamas. Washington's support for Israel's occupation prevents a viable Palestinian state and a just peace, makes a mockery of US claims to stand for justice and freedom, feeds anti-Americanism, strengthens hawks and weakens doves on both sides, and means more needless Israeli and Palestinian deaths.
Edmund R. Hanauer is an American Jewish human rights activist and director of Search for Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel. 
