The new Islamic State in Gaza

[Gromit]

For many years Israel and the US refused to negotiate with Arafat and Fatah who wanted Palastine to be a secular state. Now that Hamas has seize control of Gaza, there is now effectively a new Islamic State on Israel's doorstep.

Do you think the failure to talk to a united Palastine under Fatah was in retrospect, a terrible miscalculation?

[kwicky]

But it was Fatah and Abass who wanted to talk to Israel but were prevented from doing so by the winning of an election by Hamas who do not recognize the state of Israel. I blame the Palestinian people for this for if they wanted peace and a 2 state solution the power was in their hands. They have put themselves on the side of the aggressor where force is the only solution to solve the problem and to the realistic can never be achieved.

[Gromit]

kwicky

The peace was going nowhere, and had been stalled for many years. That led the people to become discourage by it and Hamas to win the election. My point was that the failure of any progress led to Hamas' victory, and that was a big mistake on Isreal and the US part.

[jno]

it is widely suspected that Israel used to give covert support to Hamas, as a way of destabilising the PLO, who used to be the main opposition to Israeli rule. More recently, Israel and the US and EU have demanded that the Palestinians have democratic elections. They did so and voted for Hamas, to everyone's horror; but that's democracy for you. So there's been a long history of bungling by Israel and the west here that has brought us to where we are today.

[jno]

here's a link that says much the same thing, only from someone better informed than me.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0f18304c-1dca-11dc-89f 7-000b5df10621.html