Word: gaza
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...course, Israelis have no reason to take a figure like Mashaal at his word--and many believe that now is the time to shut out Hamas completely. Israel can punish Hamas by simply choking off supplies going into Gaza, and officials say they have every intention of using this weapon. Sixty percent of Gaza's electricity, 100% of its gas supplies and 40% of its water come from Israel and can easily be shut off. But twisting the screw too far could lead to calamity. John Ging, head of U.N. efforts to provide emergency food supplies to Gaza's residents...
Even if cutting off Gaza brings down Hamas, the alternative could prove to be a whole lot worse. If Hamas fails, hard-line jihadist factions, including al-Qaeda, which are flourishing amid Gaza's poverty and misery, may fill the gap. "If Hamas can break the back of these big, powerful clans, then they can bring a measure of order to Gaza," says Nicholas Pelham, an International Crisis Group senior analyst in Jerusalem...
...prosperity. Israeli intelligence officers say they are worried about the possibility of warfare erupting among Fatah's many, often rival militias. And according to Abdul Sattar Kassem, a political scientist at Nablus' an-Najah National University, West Bankers will turn against Abbas if they see fellow Palestinians suffering in Gaza. "This will bring more support for Hamas in the West Bank. People will take the foreign money, but they will whisper their support for Hamas," Kassem says...
That's all the more reason that the U.S. and its partners, in addition to trying to support the Palestinian government in the West Bank, must find ways to bolster responsible leaders in Gaza too. In the short term, that doesn't have to involve direct talks with Hamas leaders like Mashaal and Haniya, which would violate U.S. antiterrorism laws. But Washington can encourage Arab governments in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, to reach out to pragmatic figures like U.S.-educated Ziad Abou Amar, a respected Palestinian academic with good contacts in the West and Gaza...
Crushing Hamas may be a chimerical goal, but reforming it need not be, if the U.S., Israel and its allies can devise ways to work with the Islamists in areas of mutual interest. A senior Israeli intelligence officer says, "If Hamas wants to maintain a reasonable life in Gaza, with gas, electricity and food coming in, they'll have to deal with the 'Israeli devil' a hundred times a day." That kind of engagement holds at least as much potential for progress as the U.S. policy of weeding out extremists and dealing only with pliable, so-called moderates. Reaching...