Will Mahmoud Abbas co-opt Hamas or the other way around?
It's a fascinating moment in Palestinian history for those of us who enjoy cheap and easy analogs. Is Abbas the next Saddat? Will Hamas put away their weapons and become Palestine's loyal opposition, not unlike Begin's Irgun? Is Sharon another Nixon, ready to go, not to China, but to Rammalah? And, once displaced, will the relocated settlers allow their pain to heal? Will they go on with their lives, in their new homes? Or will they act like Palestinians, c. 1967, pose as permanent exiles from their land, and let their frustrations mount and metastasize into violence and societal dysfunction?
Cheap analogs to be sure - they crumble with a scratch - but a fascinating moment, all the same.
UPDATE: Cheap analogs are everywhere. The soccerdad says Abbas is not Sadat, but "Arafat in a suit" I pray he gets to eat those words. I hope soccerdad says the same prayer.