EDITORIAL: Failure in Palestine: Decision to Isolate Hamas Bears Bitter Fruit

Jun 15, 06:23 AM

Current Headlines: By The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jun. 15--The United States and the international community faced a dilemma when the militant Islamist group Hamas defeated "old guard" Fatah in Palestinian parliamentary elections of January 2006. Would it be engagement, with the aim of encouraging Hamas to become a responsible governing party? Or boycott and isolation, with the aim of toppling Hamas?

The Hamas victory was a surprise, since Fatah was the founder and leader of the Palestinian movement since the 1950s. But the corruption of Fatah and failure of the presidency of Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, elected in January 2005, to show any diplomatic gains in ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and winning independent statehood sealed the election.

The United States and Israel, with the European nations and Russia going along, chose the path of boycott and isolation, hoping an economic squeeze would lead to the ouster of Hamas. The United States also funneled aid to encourage Fatah to confront Hamas. That gamble failed to topple Hamas or strengthen Fatah.

But it did succeed in making it impossible for Hamas to govern. And with Abbas unable to deliver any diplomatic accomplishments despite U.S. and Israeli support, both Hamas and Fatah fell into old patterns of violence.

With the situation deteriorating, Saudi Arabia chose the path of engagement. In February, King Abdullah brokered an agreement. Under the "Mecca Agreement," Hamas and Fatah agreed to stop military clashes in Gaza, form a government of national unity and join together in confronting occupation of the Palestinian territories. The Saudis promised $1 billion in aid.

That agreement offered a chance for a fresh start. But with the United States and Israel opposing the Mecca agreement and a national unity government, the prospects of success were fragile from the start.

Thursday's front-page headline, "Hamas routs Fatah in Gaza," tells the story. Later Thursday, Abbas dissolved the 3-month-old national unity government. Civil war is possible if not imminent, with spillover into other countries, particularly Israel.

The Bush administration, which supported Fatah and tried to undermine Hamas, is throwing up its hands, as if it has had no role in the outcome. White House spokesman Tony Snow said Wednesday that it's up to Palestinians to figure out whether to follow a path to peace or chaos. The Bush administration has shown little interest in trying to muster an international force to restore order in Gaza.

We may never know if the Saudi engagement approach could have worked. It was never given a chance.

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