Another Cease-Terror Offered

A cease-fire is a good thing, right? That depends on the motives of those who offer it.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Saturday renewed his offer for a 10-year truce with Israel in return for the establishment of a temporary Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

So, Israel is offered a cease-fire, or an Islamic hudna, meaning that Hamas will cease terror in exchange for the unprecedented price of Israel giving them complete authority over the entire West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem and treat them like a sovereign country. Israel is not so hot on the idea for many reasons.

...because they [Hamas] have not conformed to the international community's demands that the organization recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce violence.

Remember, this truce is for only 10 years. After that the fighting will resume, state or no state.

"We are with liberating any inch of Palestine," the Palestinian Prime Minister said in a televised address, explaining his suggestion.

Every inch of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod, you name it - it's ALL theirs.

"But we will not close the door for the next generation, because the weak don't always stay weak, and the strong won't stay strong," he added.

Give them a state, and it will be just a phase in the larger plan to get "every inch" of Israel. This is according to their own charter and is consistent with everything they say about the subject, so don't take my word for it. Read their lips.

In other words, a hudna is just a time to regroup and re-arm for the next round, kind of like a time out or half time of a basketball game. Take a breather and then back to work. Like Mohammed, who made a 10-year truce (hudna) with his enemy to strengthen his forces and eventually wiped them out, a truce is a tool to achieve the goal, not for the purpose of any kind of peace. And which is why Israel, understandably, rejects any notion of a hudna out of hand.

Yasser Arafat: master hudna dealer