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Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=224876
The Hamas Veto
(Today's Zaman-Turkey) Mkhaimar Abusada - Direct peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis face significant challenges from outside the negotiating room, particularly from Hamas, which is intent on ensuring that nothing happens without its approval. Hamas refuses all direct peace negotiations with Israel, and has vowed to derail the current talks through violence. Their first blow came on the eve of the talks, when the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, carried out an ambush on Israeli settlers in Hebron, killing four people. Hamas is well aware that their attacks cause Israel to insist even more strongly on security as the centerpiece of any agreement. This, in turn, puts the spotlight on ongoing security cooperation between Israel, the PA and the U.S. Meanwhile, Hamas bides its time. A failure of Palestinian-Israeli talks would only prove Hamas' basic point: nothing moves forward without us. The writer is professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza.