In my three-part series entitled Palestinian Quest For Statehood And UN   
   Resolution 377 -- which I released just three weeks ago -- I made the   
   following comments:   
      
   -----   
      
   ". . . So how might the Jews attempt to achieve this objective of   
   confounding Palestinian statehood intentions at the United Nations?   
      
   In my opinion, it would be by exploiting the Palestinians' biggest   
   vulnerability, and that is the current division that exists between Fatah in   
   the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Abbas -- the Palestinian   
   Authority president -- and Ismail Haniyeh -- the disputed Prime Minister of   
   the Palestinian National Authority who now heads Hamas in the Gaza Strip --   
   no doubt recognize this danger; and I suspect that this may be why they have   
   recently made attempts to be reconciled in a national unity government, even   
   though it will come at a very high price for Abbas, insofar as Israel is   
   concerned. In other words, Netanyahu's government has already informed Abbas   
   that he must make a choice. Either he chooses Hamas, or he chooses   
   negotiations with Israel.   
      
   Assuming that Abbas continues to work towards some degree of unity with   
   Hamas, not only will a unified government further convince the United   
   Nations that the Palestinians are ready for statehood, and membership in the   
   UN, but it will also help to insulate the Palestinians against any   
   machinations that the Israelis may devise against them.   
      
   While I honestly don't know what is going on between Mahmoud Abbas and   
   Ismail Haneya at this current time, the impression I get is that perhaps   
   Haneya is willing to give Abbas a final chance to prove that his approach --   
   that is, navigating the diplomatic channels of the world and the United   
   Nations -- is the right way to achieve their objectives. If Mahmoud Abbas   
   fails this time, my sense is that not only will he probably abandon any   
   further attempts at arriving at peace with the Israelis, but Ismail Haneya   
   will become even more convinced that his way is the right way, and that   
   violent warfare is the only means to achieve Palestinian objectives."   
      
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   As you may have heard, it was just announced from Cairo, Egypt that Hamas   
   and Fatah have in fact now taken solid steps to form an interim unity   
   government. Given the rough relationship which has existed between the two   
   entities, it is difficult to say whether or not this endeavor at unity will   
   succeed.   
      
   As was to be expected, the government of Israel immediately condemned   
   Palestinian attempts at unity between Fatah and Hamas, and Israeli Prime   
   Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his government's position that   
   Mahmoud Abbas -- the president of the Palestinian National Authority -- must   
   choose between making peace with Israel, and embracing Hamas in a unity   
   government.   
      
   As I believe I noted in the aforementioned series, in my view, Benjamin   
   Netanyahu has done too little, too late, and now he may be left on the   
   sidelines due to Israeli procrastination, and obstinacy in continuing with   
   settlement expansion contrary to world opinion. In fact, this belligerence   
   may symbolically represent Netanyahu placing the noose around his own neck   
   in a political sense. Time will certainly tell.   
      
   It will now be interesting to see what kind of political dance and public   
   relations dance Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haneya do together as September   
   approaches, and they prepare to make their bid to the United Nations for for   
   recognition of Palestinian statehood, and Palestinian membership in that   
   world body.   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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