Hudna - lest we forget

It doesn't take a prophet to predict that quite soon our various friends will start (actually, have already started in a small way) to beautify the ugly face of that gang of fundies that is going to rule the Palestinian Authority. And, of course, the issue of the truce (Hudna) they offer in place of recognition, laying down arms and an eventual peace agreement, will become a major pain in the ass.

So, just as a reminder:

HUDNA - Arabic word often translated as "cease-fire.- Historically used as a tactic aimed at allowing the party declaring the hudna to regroup while tricking an enemy into lowering its guard. When the hudna expires, the party that declared it is stronger and the enemy weaker. The term comes from the story of the Muslim conquest of Mecca. Instead of a rapid victory, Muhammad made a ten-year treaty with the Kuraysh tribe. In 628 AD, after only two years of the ten-year treaty, Muhammad and his forces concluded that the Kuraysh were too weak to resist. The Muslims broke the treaty and took over all of Mecca without opposition.

Another reminder from Wikipedia:

In January 2004, senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-year hudna in return for complete withdrawal from all territories captured in the Six Day War, and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Rantissi said the hudna was limited to ten years and represented a decision by the movement because it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage; the hudna would however not signal a recognition of the state of Israel."

And in simple words for our friends who don't like long sentences. Hudna is akin to a following situation: you have a fight with a fellow (in a pub, say). Then the fellow offers you his hand and adds that he is going for an hour of R&R and then will come back with a stone to bash your head in - that is precisely an offer of Hudna.

If you are stupid enough to take this offer, at least make sure you have a bigger and better stone prepared in advance...