(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - So far as is known, there has not been any communication between the Hamas cell and Israel. The Shalit deal led his kidnappers to conclude that Israel can be pressured, and that patience pays off, driving up the price Israel is willing to pay. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to reshuffle this deck by declaring an absolute refusal to negotiate and favoring a military solution. Hamas scored points with the Palestinian public for hurting Israel with the kidnapping. But the kidnapping also halted Hamas' journey toward international legitimacy, which had been precipitated by the establishment of the unity government.
2014-06-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive