Hamas truce puts Sharon in a fix

As Israel attempts to wiggle out of the roadmap, it has been provided with its biggest political challenge courtesy of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a brilliant tactical move the combined forces of the liberation movement in  Palestine have concluded an interim arrangement with Abu Mazen’s Palestinian Authority.

This approach which translates into a conditional truce has placed the Zionist regime into a quandary. Israel’s test will be whether on the basis of this ceasefire they will be able to demonstrate their ability to perform the obligation placed on them by the roadmap.

In other words, as much as they despise the prescriptions which not only halts their expansionist ideals, Israel is aware that their Zionist political philosophy is severely undermined. Their cherished dreams of a “Judea and Samaria”, united Jerusalem and a Jewish state free of non-Jews is on a collision course with the final expectations of the roadmap. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, far from being isolated as fringe terror groups, have reaffirmed their positions as the main players in the quest for Palestinian liberation.

Despite Bush’s ranting and raving, this tactical move has displayed profound political acumen on the part of the leadership of the intifada. While the truce is on, the world will in all likelihood witness the aggressive and hostile Zionist crimes. The apartheid wall is still being constructed, evacuation is confined to a small stretch, and the bulldozing of homes and villages still continues!

(Mr. Iqbal Jasarat is Chairman of the Media Review Network, which is an advocacy group based in Pretoria, South Africa.)