The survey also found that Americans deduce from Abbas’ preference for partnership with Hamas that the U.S.-brokered talks were thus bound to collapse. By 66% to 33%, Americans believe that Israel “can no longer negotiate with the Palestinian Authority now that they are forming a unity government with Hamas,” and reject the claim –– as articulated by a PA official –– that “the choice of unifying the Palestinian people enforces peace, and there is no contradiction whatsoever between reconciliation and negotiations” (The Israel Project, ‘National Poll on Middle East Peace Process’).
“By concluding a reconciliation agreement with Hamas, a movement intent on a genocide of the Jews, Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah/PA has shown conclusively that it is not only not a peace partner, but an avowed enemy of Jews and the Jewish state.
“It is very telling that Abbas is wiling to have this alliance with Hamas, despite its continuing commitment to terrorism, the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.
“As we have argued for many years now, we know from long, bitter experience that the PA is unlikely to accept even the most generous Israeli peace proposals, even ones that would endanger Israel, such as Ehud Barak’s 2000 peace offer or Ehud Olmert’s 2008 offer. Indeed, they have frustrated American attempts to bring about peace negotiations in recent months by adding new demands and also refused even to talk to Israel for almost the whole of the past five years.
