The Devil is in the Details

The Mecca Agreement has temporarily quelled Palestinian internecine violence, and promoted a united front to the world. But the devil is in the details. As MEMRI (The Middle East Media Research Institute) points out, Hamas has cleverly found a way to not have to budge on many of its core positions-- e.g., non-recognition of Israel, the right of return of Palestinian refugees into Israel proper--while enlisting more international endorsement. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to take advantage Israel's restraint in the face of ongoing Qassam missile attacks into southern Israel, in the name of the cease-fire. Hamas Using Cease-Fire to Stockpile Weapons

The Mecca Agreement - A Strategic PLO-Hamas Alliance for Establishing a Palestinian State without Hamas Recognizing Israel -
C. Jacob and Y. Carmon
Hamas will not be required to recognize Israel, since, as a Palestinian movement, and even as a government, it is not authorized to conduct diplomatic negotiations, as negotiations and the signing of treaties in the name of the Palestinian people are the exclusive prerogative of the PLO and its head, Mahmoud Abbas. This tactic allows Abbas to conduct negotiations as the representative of the Palestinian people, and it enables him to ask Israel and the international community to overlook the fact that Hamas, which is part of the PA government, has not changed its principles and does not recognize Israel. (MEMRI)