Gaza crisis undermines Bush strategy

Some interesting bits. It also says in one place that:

"Hamas, which ... refuses to negotiate with Israel"

and in numerous other places admits what the policy really is:

the crisis had enabled Hamas to drive home the fact that they could not be shunned or ignored

i.e. that it is not Hamas that is refusing to talk.

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The Gaza border breach has undermined the Bush administration's strategy of isolating Hamas and experts say such crises dim US chances of getting an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty by the end of the year.

"Hamas not only blew a hole in the wall but they also blew a hole in the whole policy of continued isolation of Hamas," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst now with the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution.

Islamist militants blasted a hole in the border between the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and Egypt last week, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans through the gap to buy food and other goods unavailable due to an Israeli blockade.

Israel imposed the blockade after Palestinians fired hundreds of home-made rockets at Israeli border towns in the first half of January. Israeli officials say the number of attacks has now gone down but they fear Hamas used the opportunity to smuggle weapons and explosives back into Gaza.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1565431

a unity government and then enter negotiations with Israel.

I suspect his credibility with the Palestinians is on par with Cheneys in America.

the Palestinians' lack of unity is an internal problem. They need to get their house in order before they begin making demands.

I hope they do because the sectarian issues make for bad problems in the neighborhood.

if they form a unity government, they risk losing aid from the US.

Divide and conquer.

though I'm sure it would rankle Hamas that Fatah basically negated the last election results.

Perhaps with agreements that all parties agree to negotiate, and that all parties honor the outcome?