Whose Peace is it anyway?

Opinion: Whose Peace is it anyway? - by Ambassador Yosef Livne

24 April 2014

Whose Peace is it anyway?

The news about the agreement reached by the Fatah movement and Hamas adds a new obstacle in the already complex situation of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Hamas has been declared a terrorist organization by numerous countries, among them the E.U and the U.S.A. In fact, the international quartet which has been accompanying the peace process has specified quite explicitly the conditions for being included in the talks. Hamas does not comply with any of them: Its steadfast refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist, its adherence to terror and the continued launching of missiles and rockets into Israel place it outside the framework of any peace talks. After all, what is there to talk about with this organization?

The new agreement does not forebode reasons for optimism. As both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Liberman said “Abu Mazen must decide if he wants peace and if so, with whom. (He) has to choose between Peace with Israel and an agreement with Hamas, a murderous terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel.

Whoever chooses Hamas does not want Peace”

Yosef Livne
Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand

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