Pendragon_6
02-14-2006, 10:21 AM
By Jeffrey Brochstein
MichNews.com
Feb 14, 2006
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent invitation to HAMAS for dialogue in Moscow not only delivered a secondary shock to many observers (the first being HAMAS’s victory in and of itself), but it has also severely undermined the West’s struggle against Islamofascism and could dangerously put Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish State in the Middle East up for debate.
By inviting HAMAS leaders for talks, Putin is taking a risky diplomatic gamble that could significantly boost Russia's waning global influence but has already opened the door to accusations of double standards on terrorism -- accusations that the Kremlin itself has repeatedly directed at Western countries relative to their war against Chechen terrorists. Moreover, Russia is a member of the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators, comprising not only themselves, but the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. The Quartet, which backs the "road map" peace plan, insisted it would not deal with a HAMAS-led Palestinian Authority, and threatened to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in desperately needed aid to the cash-strapped government unless the group recognized Israel and renounced violence
In Full
MichNews (http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_11737.shtml)
MichNews.com
Feb 14, 2006
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent invitation to HAMAS for dialogue in Moscow not only delivered a secondary shock to many observers (the first being HAMAS’s victory in and of itself), but it has also severely undermined the West’s struggle against Islamofascism and could dangerously put Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish State in the Middle East up for debate.
By inviting HAMAS leaders for talks, Putin is taking a risky diplomatic gamble that could significantly boost Russia's waning global influence but has already opened the door to accusations of double standards on terrorism -- accusations that the Kremlin itself has repeatedly directed at Western countries relative to their war against Chechen terrorists. Moreover, Russia is a member of the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators, comprising not only themselves, but the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. The Quartet, which backs the "road map" peace plan, insisted it would not deal with a HAMAS-led Palestinian Authority, and threatened to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in desperately needed aid to the cash-strapped government unless the group recognized Israel and renounced violence
In Full
MichNews (http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_11737.shtml)