Following the Mecca agreement between Hamas and Fatah over the formation of a national unity government, it seems that the cracks in the wall of isolation surrounding Hamas, the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia), are continuing to grow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated he hoped that the Quartet could lift the sanctions against the Palestinian unity government. This statement was issued before the Quartet members gathered in Berlin to discuss the exact details of the Mecca agreement, and whether it met the three demands of the Quartet, that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and abide by previous agreements made by the PLO.

Quote: ""I hope that the Quartet will favor a lifting of the financial and economic sanctions which were imposed by Israel. That will be the position of Russia, the European Union and the UN Secretary-General," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Rossiskaya Gazeta newspaper.

Russia was also one of the first nations to break the international political boycott against Hamas, by inviting the terrorist organization to Moscow for talks. It seems Lavrov believes the Israelis are the ones that are hindering peace, not Hamas. Sadly, some European nations are also doing their best to water down the three principles of the Quartet. Prime Minister Tony Blair, along with other European diplomats, have reportedly met with Hamas officials despite their word that they wouldn't, and despite the boycott and Hamas being listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union. Tony Blair has stated it may be possible to achieve some sort of agreement, even with some of the "sensible" people in Hamas. 

His former Foreign Minister Jack Straw tried the same trick, by insisting that Hamas did not necessarily have to recognize Israel's "right" to exist, just the "fact" of its existence. Of course, recognizing the "fact" of Israel's existence is poles apart from recognizing its right to exist, for you can recognize the fact of a state's existence but still wage a war of terror against it to destroy it. Downing Street were holding a live web chat with the current Foreign Minister Margaret Becket, and I asked the question if the Foreign Minister would demand full recognition of Israel's right to exist, for anything less is no recognition at all. Unfortunately Mrs Becket's schedule has clashed with the live web chat, and it has been postponed. Why so concerned about full recognition? Because of the following news. It seems, as predicted, world leaders may be prepared to accept a long term truce from Hamas, for the sake of some sort of peace.

Quote: "A Hamas source claimed Britain and France held meetings with the terror group in which discussions addressed the possibility of breaking an international financial embargo imposed on the PA since Hamas won parliamentary elections. The source claimed Britain and France are "coming to terms" with the Hamas position of mediating the so-called Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a long-term cease-fire instead of final status negotiations in which the PA would agree to peace with Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state. The source said the two countries asked Hamas for a position paper outlining ideas for a long-term truce with Israel.

Friends, the Bible states that the next event on the prophetic calendar (not including the rapture) is an idle peace in the Middle East. It is after this peace is formed that Gog and his Islamic armies march on Israel. It seems that a long term truce will offer a temporary way out for the impasse in the Middle East, and that neither Hamas nor Fatah will be obligated to recognize Israel. You can be sure that the result of this "peace" will be that Palestinian terrorist organizations will start building their munitions to prepare for the day when they decide to attempt the final destruction of Israel.

Source YNet News, WorldNetDaily