Like Hell They Did

AP breathlessly reports that Hamas may be on its way to recognizing a two state solution - Israel side by side with Palestine.

Only a day earlier, Haniyeh had told The Associated Press that Hamas would not recognize Israel.

The contradictory statements came as Hamas is under intense international pressure to moderate its views, including recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting existing peace agreements. In Brussels, Belgium, the EU announced Friday it would cut off direct aid payments to the Hamas-led government.

The idea of accepting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an apparent attempt by Hamas to appease the international community, without having to state directly that it is recognizing Israel.

Hamas officials have said they would only grant such recognition in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from all lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War — the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

Hamas will never accept Israel. Period. It's a fundamental tenet of their doctrine and any statements calling for acceptance need to be examined in light of the Islamic practice of deception (taqiya). Hamas will say and do just about anything in order to win concessions that will establish the capability to eliminate Israel down the road. It may sound reasonable to diplomats to try and exploit the reasonable sounding comments and think that this is the basis on which a deal could be reached, but it is a false deal.

And Israel would be foolish to accept any such deal because it would act as a stepping stone to Israel's destruction.