Pause for Peace
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.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/opinion/01yousef.html?_r=0
Perhaps Tinnie can tell us if there were any other "Hudnas" that actually resulted in a permanent peace? By the way, Tinnie, when the Hudna is over, will your Hamas friends go back to try to destroy Israel as per their charter? I don't think that everyone believes that they actually want to see a Jewish state in their midst even if it consists of a tiny bit of land, especially compared to the huge amount of land in the Arab world.
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.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/opinion/01yousef.html?_r=0