Signs of the Moshiach!!

I definitely thought I was hallucinating, delirious or some other "not quite here in this world" state of mind when I saw this headline in my emailed New York Times:
Hamas Provokes a Fight

I took for granted that it must be an op-ed by someone I know; though there wasn't a byline. I clicked the link and found myself facing an editorial of all things! Who would have thought that the editors of The New York Times would ever admit that Israel wasn't at fault, even for a second?

"Hakarat hatov," recognizing the good in others is a very important mitzvah/principle in Judaism. So, I'm going to give you the pleasure of reading these momentous words right here on Shiloh Musings.


Published: June 29, 2006
The Palestinians who futilely threw up sand berms on Gaza's main roads to deflect Israeli troop movements were building their defenses in the wrong direction. The responsibility for this latest escalation rests squarely with Hamas, whose military wing tunneled into Israel on Sunday, killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped another. This was a follow-up to a declaration earlier this month by Hamas's political leadership that the group's 16-month intermittent cease-fire would no longer be observed.

Under the circumstances, an Israeli military response was inevitable. It should also be as restrained as possible. Israel does not seem to want to reoccupy Gaza, but its reported detention of several cabinet ministers in the West Bank is unsettling. Bitterness and distrust on both sides are sure to increase, and the already dim prospects for a return to peace negotiations will diminish even further.

Ironically, Hamas has chosen this bleak moment to finally endorse a document that implicitly recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 borders. In a different context that would represent progress. But in a week in which Hamas's military wing has crossed those very borders, it is hard to draw much encouragement.

The renewed presence of Israeli forces in Gaza may give a short-term boost to Hamas's local popularity. But once the immediate adrenaline rush wears off, the Palestinians who elected Hamas, and the Arab nations on which it now depends for financial survival, need to survey the wreckage and draw the obvious conclusions. When Hamas was only an opposition movement, its provocative behavior was a major impediment to peace. As a governing party, it is far worse.

Contrary to the hopes of many outsiders, five months in government has failed to educate Hamas to the reality of the world the Palestinians live in. Hamas has merely assumed the political privileges of power without accepting the minimal responsibilities that go with it.

If things go on like this, Palestinians can look forward to endless rounds of reckless Hamas provocations and inexorable Israeli responses. That is why things must not be allowed to go on like this. It is not just Israel that needs to be delivering that message to Hamas.