Poker Palestinian Style

In the game of political poker, Abbas has called and it is time for Hamas to respond. Who is bluffing whom? Neither Abbas of Fatah nor Ismail Haniya of Hamas is trustworthy as far as making a deal toward Israel's future. The PA sanctioned media and schools teach hatred of America and of Israel.

Abbas has figured this out: Statehood first then destroy Israel second. This is the old story of Mohammedan Taqiyya. The story goes like this: Lull your enemies with promises of peace, then rise up against them and murder them when your enemy is unaware and is trusting. This is the Mohammedan justification for lying to the kafir.

I suspect Abbas will win this poker game because he has the big casinos behind him: America and the EU. The question is how Hamas will take a pro-Abbas referendum? Abbas might be unifying the Palestinian-Arab or further splintering them. Who knows to which direction that will go?

UPDATE:
Abbas has blinked in the political poker game. As the Tuesday midnite deadline approached, Abbas extended dialogue with Hamas three more days:

Abbas backs down on ultimatum
Hamas gets three-day extension on referendum bid

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday gave Hamas an extension of three days to accept a referendum on a "national reconciliation" document drafted by Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, The Jerusalem Post reports. The so-called "prisoners document" calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem and for all Palestinian refugees to return to their original homes inside Israel.

Abbas's ultimatum to Hamas to accept the document or face a referendum expired at midnight Monday and as the deadline approached Hamas leaders and spokesmen reiterated their opposition to the document.

If Hamas refuses to agree to a referendum, Abbas will have no choice but to disband the Palestinian parliament and hold new elections, Fatah chairman Azzam al-Ahmed told the Al Jazeera news network Tuesday. As the factions' leaders met in Ramallah on Tuesday afternoon, rocket propelled grenades were fired at the Fatah party's Preventive Security Force compound in the Gaza Strip, injuring three maintenance workers, security and hospital officials told the news agencies.

At least six people have been killed and many others wounded in confrontations between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in the Strip over the past 48 hours.