Projection and the Middle East
Hamas representative rejects Egyptian plan for one-year truce with Israel
The interesting part is:
Israel "will read any truce as a surrender .... We can't offer that to the Israelis," Hamdan said.
No, Israel wouldn't. There are a lot of people who would appreciate the gesture and start negotiations again. Would Israelis see it as surrender? Some, maybe, but not a lot. Why then would Hamdan, a spokesman for Hamas, insist that that's how Israelis would perceive it? I see it as projection. Hamas would consider truce as a surrender, so they (unconsciously) assume that it's the same way for everyone else.