Last month's Palestinian Authority (PA) ploy at the United Nations to gain recognition of statehood represents the continuing Palestinian strategy to avoid negotiating a peace agreement with Israel. While it would be unfortunate and unhelpful to reward bad behavior, there is an even more fundamental reason why members of the UN Security Council are still on the fence: Hamas. Recognizing a Palestinian state would effectively recognize that terrorist organization as a legitimate Palestinian player. Contrary to the claims of some analysts, Hamas has not adopted a more moderate stance or pragmatic ideology over recent years. As Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, reiterated last month: "We repeat today that we are with the establishment of a Palestinian state on any liberated part of Palestinian land that is agreed upon by the Palestinian people, without recognizing Israel or conceding any inch of historical Palestine." Hamas sees accepting a Palestinian state in the...(Read Full Post)