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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE665247
Has Hamas Weathered the Storm?
(Reuters) Tom Perry - Hamas is starting to see cracks in Israeli and Western policies after the storm unleashed by its rise to government in Gaza over the last four years, first through the ballot box and then by force of arms. Israel's decision to ease its Gaza embargo is expected to offer at least some economic respite, to the benefit of Hamas. The group has declared the Israeli decision a victory and a result of its uncompromising approach. "Hamas has proved that it cannot be uprooted and its will is iron," said Ayman Taha, a Hamas official in Gaza. Emboldened by recent moral support from states such as NATO member Turkey, Hamas' confidence appears only to be growing. It shows no sign of budging on the principles that have caused its international isolation. It will not recognize Israel, renounce violence or support peace agreements concluded by its Palestinian rivals. It will only agree to a "long-term truce," refusing to give up what it believes is the Palestinians' right to the land where Israel was established in 1948.