[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

"I would argue, however, that this concept is not as foreign as it might
seem. After all, the Irish Republican Army agreed to halt its military
struggle to free Northern Ireland from British rule without recognizing
British sovereignty. Irish Republicans continue to aspire to a united
Ireland free of British rule, but rely upon peaceful methods. Had the I.R.A.
been forced to renounce its vision of reuniting Ireland before negotiations
could occur, peace would never have prevailed. Why should more be demanded
of the Palestinians, particularly when the spirit of our people will never
permit it?"

Mr. Yousef avoids mentioning that the IRA entered into the Good Friday
Agreement. And while that agreeement was slopilly drafted under the
guidance of U.S. Senator Mitchell (as in Mitchell Report), the deal did
intend to disarm the IRA. Hamas doesn't offer to disarm - it doesn't even
offer a weapons freeze - just not to possibly pull an increasingly powerful
trigger for a limited period of time.]

Pause for Peace
By AHMED YOUSEF
The New York Times - November 1, 2006
www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/opinion/01yousef.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Gaza

HERE in Gaza, few dream of peace. For now, most dare only to dream of a lack
of war. It is for this reason that Hamas proposes a long-term truce during
which the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can try to negotiate a lasting
peace.

A truce is referred to in Arabic as a "hudna." Typically covering 10 years,
a hudna is recognized in Islamic jurisprudence as a legitimate and binding
contract. A hudna extends beyond the Western concept of a cease-fire and
obliges the parties to use the period to seek a permanent, nonviolent
resolution to their differences. The Koran finds great merit in such efforts
at promoting understanding among different people. Whereas war dehumanizes
the enemy and makes it easier to kill, a hudna affords the opportunity to
humanize one's opponents and understand their position with the goal of
resolving the intertribal or international dispute.

Such a concept - a period of nonwar but only partial resolution of a
conflict - is foreign to the West and has been greeted with much suspicion.
Many Westerners I speak to wonder how one can stop the violence without
ending the conflict.

I would argue, however, that this concept is not as foreign as it might
seem. After all, the Irish Republican Army agreed to halt its military
struggle to free Northern Ireland from British rule without recognizing
British sovereignty. Irish Republicans continue to aspire to a united
Ireland free of British rule, but rely upon peaceful methods. Had the I.R.A.
been forced to renounce its vision of reuniting Ireland before negotiations
could occur, peace would never have prevailed. Why should more be demanded
of the Palestinians, particularly when the spirit of our people will never
permit it?

When Hamas gives its word to an international agreement, it does so in the
name of God and will therefore keep its word. Hamas has honored its previous
cease-fires, as Israelis grudgingly note with the oft-heard words, "At least
with Hamas they mean what they say."

This offer of hudna is no ruse, as some assert, to strengthen our military
machine, to buy time to organize better or to consolidate our hold on the
Palestinian Authority. Indeed, faith-based political movements in Algeria,
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkey and Yemen have used
hudna-like strategies to avoid expanding conflict. Hamas will conduct itself
just as wisely and honorably.

We Palestinians are prepared to enter into a hudna to bring about an
immediate end to the occupation and to initiate a period of peaceful
coexistence during which both sides would refrain from any form of military
aggression or provocation. During this period of calm and negotiation we can
address the important issues like the right of return and the release of
prisoners. If the negotiations fail to achieve a durable settlement, the
next generation of Palestinians and Israelis will have to decide whether or
not to renew the hudna and the search for a negotiated peace.

There can be no comprehensive solution of the conflict today, this week,
this month, or even this year. A conflict that has festered for so long may,
however, be resolved through a decade of peaceful coexistence and
negotiations. This is the only sensible alternative to the current
situation. A hudna will lead to an end to the occupation and create the
space and the calm necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.

Few in Gaza dream. For most of the past six months it's been difficult to
even sleep. Yet hope is not dead. And when we dare to hope, this is what we
see: a 10-year hudna during which, inshallah (God willing), we will learn
again to dream of peace.
------------
Ahmed Yousef is a senior adviser to the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail
Haniya.