[Mb-civic] Rejecting the urge to isolate Hamas - Makau Mutua - Boston Globe Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

  Rejecting the urge to isolate Hamas

By Makau Mutua  |  March 27, 2006  |  The Boston Globe

CONTRARY TO popular political rhetoric in the West, it is a colossal 
mistake to isolate Hamas, the Islamist movement poised to form the next 
government in the Palestinian Authority. It is neither democratic nor 
politically defensible to deny a people the right to be governed by a 
party they have freely elected to power. If the West truly supports 
democracy, it must accept a Hamas government.

Hamas is not a garden-variety political party. But the occupied 
territories are not a run-of-the-mill political entity. It is a society 
that has been under occupation and colonization for decades. Hamas rose 
to power because of the failure of the Western-led Oslo peace process, 
the virtual collapse of the Palestinian Authority, and impotence of the 
Palestinian Liberation Organization. Like it or not, Hamas is now the 
embodiment of the sovereignty of the people of Palestine.

It smacks of hypocrisy for the West and Israel to accept the 
participation of Hamas in the elections and then reject its victory over 
Fatah, the party of PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas. This is tantamount to 
accepting the results of a fair contest only if your preferred side 
wins. That is not how democracy works. What moral authority or 
consistency can the United States -- and the West -- claim if they 
reject a democratically elected Hamas government?

I know all the arguments against Hamas. The West has declared it a 
terrorist organization. It refuses to accept the existence of Israel. It 
has incubated suicide bombers and attacked civilians. Its Islamist 
blueprint would subordinate women and violate the rights of moderates 
and non-Muslims. But Hamas endeared itself to Palestinians by providing 
social services and adopting a zero-tolerance policy to corruption. That 
is partly why it won.

Some have minimized the victory of Hamas by claiming that it was a 
protest vote. They argue that Palestinians did not really want Hamas to 
win, even though they resoundingly voted for it. Where else in the 
Middle East, including Israel, has a political party won such a huge 
mandate in a free vote? These denials seek to thwart the will of 
Palestinians.

No matter the objections to Hamas, there is blame on both sides of 
conflict. The Israelis have carried out a policy of occupation and 
colonization, border closings, assassinations, checkpoints, a barrier, 
and detentions. On the Palestinians' side, attacks on civilians and 
suicide bombings have claimed scores of Israelis. But it is these mortal 
enemies that must make peace.

Until now, Hamas operated outside the formal structures of Palestinian 
society, which were dominated by the PLO. Internationally, the PLO was 
accepted as the legitimate representative of Palestinians. But rampant 
corruption within the Palestinian Authority and the failure of the PLO 
to deliver an independent Palestinian state eroded internal legitimacy. 
Yasser Arafat came to personify these failures. Abu Mazen, as President 
Abbas is known, inherited them.

There has been no peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. The 
so-called road map has been nothing but a cruel illusion. The truth is 
that neither side -- Palestinian nor Israeli -- has had the political 
will to make the hard decisions on a two-state solution.

Despite objections, there are several reasons to root for the success of 
a Hamas government. Among the key players, only Hamas has the potential 
to shake up this irredeemable paralysis and inject new life into the 
peace process. But that will not happen if the West and Israel choke off 
a Hamas government. It is important that Hamas is not captive to the 
pathologies of Oslo.

Spurning Hamas will only further radicalize it and the Palestinian 
people, making peace more elusive. The policy of isolation will be proof 
positive to Palestinians that no matter what they do -- including a 
democratic election -- the Israelis and the West will never permit them 
statehood. This will harden Hamas and narrow the space for moderates in 
Palestinian society. It will also diminish the influence of secularists 
and liberals.

Hamas is a reality that simply cannot be wished away. As the government, 
Hamas is more likely to adopt pragmatic and internationally acceptable 
policies. Over time, it should soften its stance toward Israel, step 
back from Islamist programs, and permit women's rights. It has no other 
choice if it wants the allegiance of the Palestinian people, the 
majority of whom are secular, moderate, and liberal. Nor can it acquire 
international legitimacy otherwise. It is a hopeful sign that Hamas 
desperately wanted to form a coalition government with moderates before 
other factions turned it down.

The United States and the European Union -- who write the checks for the 
Palestinian Authority -- must not cut off aid to the Hamas government. 
Doing so is shortsighted, undemocratic, and foolhardy. Liberation 
movements normally mellow in the aftermath of political victory.

The West must remember that it once designated Nelson Mandela's African 
National Congress a terrorist organization. Engaging Hamas -- as opposed 
to isolating it -- may establish the first real political democracy in 
the Arab world.

Makau Mutua is director of the Human Rights Center at the State 
University of New York at Buffalo.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/03/27/rejecting_the_urge_to_isolate_hamas/
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