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Can Hamas Be Tamed?

(Foreign Affairs) Brig.-Gen. Michael Herzog - No Islamist movement has renounced violence or moderated its ideology of its own volition; when one has done so at all, it has been for lack of a better alternative. At least three factors need to be present for co-optation to occur: the existence of a strong, healthy, and relatively free political system into which the Islamists can be absorbed; a balance of power tilted against the Islamists that forces them to play by moderate rules; and sufficient time for co-optation to take effect. Unfortunately, in the case of Hamas, hardly any of these potentially moderating factors are present. With Hamas controlling Palestinian politics and national institutions, the immediate onus has shifted to outside players to create real incentives for Hamas to abandon its militancy and real disincentives to preserve it. Aid should also be designed to create a pragmatic Palestinian political center by revamping Fatah and encouraging reform-minded activists and parties. The fact that so many Palestinians regard Hamas as entirely legitimate does not mean that all other interested parties have to agree. The international community should clearly assert that democratic participation will confer legitimacy on Hamas only so long as the group renounces violence, disarms, and recognizes Israel's right to exist. The writer, former head of strategic planning for the Israel Defense Forces, is a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2006-01-30 00:00:00
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