Reports dribbling in to Jerusalem over the past few days indicate that US officials are enthusiastic about the Palestinian reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. The news came as no surprise to the Israeli leadership.
True, previous more cautious American comments about the reconciliation effort seemed in accord with the Israeli position, including demands that any ensuing Palestinian administration must recognize Israel, renounce terrorism and approve all agreements signed between the parties. After the dust began to settle, a senior White House official was quoted by Haaretz as saying, "Egypt has helped us crack open a door to Gaza that didn’t exist a few weeks ago, and we see it as a possible opportunity." At the same time, the caveat was included that disarming Hamas will not happen overnight.
It had been clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet that the United States would support the negotiations. That is why they put a ticking time bomb of sorts on the desk of US envoy Jason Greenblatt in the form of a Cabinet decision adopted Oct. 17. During two days of talks, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Immigration and Absorption Minister Ze'ev Elkin in particular succeeded in dragging the Cabinet far to the right. The resulting decision announced by the government, read, "[Israel] will not conduct diplomatic negotiations with a Palestinian government that relies on Hamas."
As always, the devil was in the details, patiently waiting to pounce. Had the Americans analyzed the precise wording of the Cabinet's decision in real time, they would have realized that Netanyahu had just laid a booby trap for them. By announcing that Israel would not negotiate with any Palestinian government that "relies on Hamas," the Cabinet eliminated any possibility of bypassing the situation, as it did in 2014. Back then, after Fatah's previous "reconciliation" with Hamas, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed his "government of technocrats," which did not include any official members of Fatah or Hamas. That way, he kept the possibility of negotiations with Israel alive.
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