While I believe that any Hamas concessions are simply semantic in nature and worse than meaningless in reality, there is no doubt that even the vapor gestures are difficult for Hamas to do and that they are feeling the heat from their fellow Palestinian Arabs. A small example:
Hamas politburo leader Khaled Mashaal reiterated Wednesday that his group would not recognize Israel. In an interview published Thursday in the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat and cited by Maariv, Mashaal said he was willing to accept a Palestinian state within 1967 borders, as well as a hudna [truce] with Israel but not to recognize the "occupation."Again, this is nothing earthshaking and it fall so far short of any real concessions as to be laughable, but they do show that there is serious internal pressure that is even reaching Hamas' Damascus leadership.
Mashaal addressed reports Wednesday that said he had agreed to wide-ranging concessions in order to pave the way for a unity government in the Palestinian Authority. Although he refused to recognize the "legitimacy of the occupation," Mashaal admitted the "Zionist entity" was an established fact. "There is an entity whose name is Israel, yes, but I am not interested in recognizing it," said Mashaal.
The Hamas political chief also hinted at the possibility that his organization and the Hamas-led Palestinian government would recognize agreements with Israel the PA and PLO previously signed. "We will deal with agreements that have been signed and are on the ground according to the interests of the Palestinian people," Mashaal said. "If the serve the interests of my people, I will implement them."
In other words, it shows that the economic sanctions are working. While the results would be worthless, the fake progress that is happening is exactly what the EU and the US were hoping for when they decided to implement them.
Of course, that former President who wastes no opportunity to trash his own country's leadership refuses to see it this way.
Last week, Jimmy the Dhimmi made yet another of his absurd pro-terror statements, which have become so common and expected that the Western media pretty much ignored it:
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Friday that a foreign policy aimed at punishing the Hamas-led Palestinian government through a seven-month aid freeze has failed, and called on the international community to seek other ways to resolve the conflict.So Carter has it exactly wrong, as usual, as he calls for dollars to flow yet again to pay for rockets and bombs aimed at Israeli civilians just as he places all his faith in words and none in actions.
"The attempt to coerce Hamas leaders by starving the Palestinian people has failed, and it is time for the international community to alleviate their suffering and resort to diplomacy," Carter said in a statement.
The former president added that he is doubtful that Palestinian leaders will make any progress toward reconciliation with Israel "as long as the Palestinians are subjected to this kind of debasement and personal suffering."