There are many signs lately of Hamas’s softening to the west, lately this Wall Street Journal interview of Khaled Meshal that included Hamas’s "quasi-recognition" of the state of Israel on the ’67 lines. Meshal said he would promote a "peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict if the White House can secure an Israeli settlement freeze and a lifting of the economic and military blockade of the Gaza Strip." Pretty reasonable. Who’s not missing the opportunity to miss the opportunity now?
I don’t think you can underestimate the influence on Hamas of the many trips to Gaza organized by Code Pink in the last few months. Code Pink has met with high Hamas officials, and its large delegations have lessened the Strip’s sense of isolation from the world. Send more people to see what our lives are like, has always been the message.
Now Code Pink has announced yet another trip to Gaza next month, late September. This must be its fourth trip this year. These trips represent the personal commitment of Medea Benjamin, Code Pink co-founder, who didn’t deal with the issue for years of antiwar work, in part because there are Zionists in her own family. Then Gaza came, and transformed Benjamin’s commitment. She’s become a stirring advocate for Palestinian human rights. I don’t care if you want one state or two state, she says in her speeches, join us in working for Palestinian freedom. Above: Benjamin in Gaza on June 3, holding a letter to Obama from Hamas that she was carrying out to the American Embassy in Cairo.
