Seeding winds....

It's clear that Hamas has been a terrorist organisation, even if it was not as such from the beginning. After being formed in the eighties, devoted to political Islamism, it grew into a radical organisation, mostly composed by students. It was after a polemic decision from Yitzhak Rabin to expel several hundreds of Hamas militants, leaving them in "no-man's land" by the border with Lebanon, that some of Hamas militants established contacts with Hezbollah, learning from them armed action techniques, like the suicide bombing.

After the last elections (considered by international observers has the better conducted ones in Palestine and one of the better in the Arab world), everyone is living under the expectation of what will be the position of Hamas. But Israel is growing impatient and leaving no room for openness from Hamas' new leader: Ismaïl Hanyieh.

Ismaïl Hanyieh is considered to be a pragmatic and part of the moderate wing of Hamas. For instance, while Hamas rejects the Oslo agreements, Hanyieh was one of the defenders of Hamas becoming part of the structures coming out from the Oslo agreements, which lead ultimately to them becoming Government.

While Hanyieh strived to get Hamas accepting the Oslo Agreements, Israel is now violating them, once again, by refusing to transfer to the Palestinian Authority the tax rebound they are entitled to, leading it to a precarious financial situation.

Is this Israel's way of building a climate for negotiation? Because for me it looks very similar to holding a country hostage in exchange for money...

I wonder why can't they open a door for negotiations with Hamas' new leader, enhancing a stronger dialogue between the parties and reinforcing his position has Government leader, through dialogue and not through blackmail, which will only get him into peer pressure for hostile action.

Why can't Israel trust this man, Ismaïl Hanyieh? Maybe because they are afraid that the former Chief of Cabinet and trusted man of Ahmed Yassine didn't forget that Israel assassinated his leader, using terrorist methods that they criticise so much in Hamas.

And that is maybe the main problem for any negotiation: the parties being so similar, though in opposite sides ...

PS: Also the US is requesting the devolution of financial support given previously. At least the EU is only threatening to do so if there is no positive attitude from Hamas, this being Hamas recognising the state of Israel and giving up to all armed action.