(Ha'aretz) - Ze'ev Schiff The advantage of the cease-fire agreement with the PA is that the Palestinians are willing to assume responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip, followed by Bethlehem a week later. The disadvantage is that Abbas has told Hamas and other opposition groups that he will not, at this stage, disarm them. Despite recent statements by President Bush, in which he called for the group to be disbanded, Washington does not support Israel's position on the need to start dismantling Hamas' terrorist infrastructure immediately. The Americans believe that, at the present stage, Abbas is not capable of winning a head-on confrontation with Hamas.
2003-06-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive