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Dealing with Hamas

After dithering for more than a year, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has realised the need to come to the aid of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. At the end of their first formal meeting on December 23, Mr. Olmert indicated he would soon accede to some of Mr. Abbas's demands and would show flexibility on the others. For a start, Israel plans to transfer a portion of frozen tax revenues and remove some of the roadblocks between its territory and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Mr. Olmert has also promised to consider releasing some of the nearly 8000 Palestinians in the custody of the Zionist state. There can be no doubt that these measures are intended to boost Mr. Abbas's political standing since the funds are to be transferred directly to the presidential office rather than to the government headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. They also form part of the joint effort Israel and the United States have been making for several months to isolate and squeeze Mr. Haniyeh and Hamas. With the U.S. and the European Union cutting aid and Israel refusing to transfer the tax revenue, the Islamists have not been able to provide effective governance. However, Mr. Abbas might be gambling heavily if he follows through his repeated threats to hold fresh elections to Parliament as well as the presidency. Although the popularity of Hamas appears to have dipped since January 2006, when it won the parliamentary contest, its organisational structure is still intact. There is no guarantee that the election results will be favourable to either Mr. Abbas or his Fatah.

President Abbas appears to have opted unwisely for a confrontation with Hamas when he probably lacks the strength to win. While Hamas has been an extremist organisation for much of its existence, there have been recent signs of change. Mr. Haniyeh has offered Israel a truce that could last for 20 years in return for the right to establish a Palestinian state in the territories captured by the Zionist state in the 1967 war. This is a significant offer since it indicates a willingness to set aside, for a considerable period, the Islamists' claim to pre-1948 Palestine in its entirety. Mr. Abbas would do well to work on Hamas and persuade it to go further in exploring ways for a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Israel. A meeting between Mr. Abbas and Mr. Haniyeh facilitated by Jordan's King Abdullah and scheduled to take place in a few days will provide the Palestinian leaders a useful opportunity to resolve their differences.

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