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Shalom: Hizballah is Hamas' model


By Ryan Jones
November 17, 2005

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom Wednesday refuted assertions the Hamas terrorist organization can and will be more easily disarmed if it is first allowed to participate in ?Palestinian? parliamentary elections.

Shalom met twice with PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas as the two were attending the UN World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia, the foreign minister's country of birth.

The Israeli warned Abbas that Hamas is ?a murderous terrorist organization? that is not only trying to kill Jews, but also overthrow the current ?Palestinian? leadership.

Shalom cautioned that contrary to assessments by Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, allowing Hamas to participate in the January 26 poll will only strengthen the terror group. Hamas is expected to garner up to 40 percent of the vote.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon displeased Rice on Monday when he told her ?Hamas's participation could lead to the end of the Road Map? peace plan, and that Israel would ?not allow Hamas members to either work or move about? freely in the run up to the vote.

Rice shot back that Washington wants the issue to take a back seat until after the ?Palestinian? elections, at which point it will be ?easier to compel Hamas to disarm because the pressure will come

from the entire international community.?

But Shalom on Wednesday pointed out that Hizballah, a group Hamas sees as its partner in the battle against Israel, has not disarmed following its participation in Lebanese elections, despite international pressure for it to do so.

In fact, Hizballah today has more missiles deployed against Israel than ever.

Shalom said that Hamas will follow Hizballah's lead by refusing to lay down its arms after gaining political position. Nor is Abbas expected to challenge that position even if world pressure is forthcoming, citing his oft-used excuse of avoiding ?civil war.?

For his part, Abbas insists Hamas must be allowed to field candidates for the sake of true democracy.

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