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Take Away Their Guns - Then We'll Talk
(Foreign Policy) Avigdor Lieberman - Hamas remains the biggest obstacle to any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas is not a legitimate political actor or interlocutor. The group has attained its power and control only through the barrel of a gun. Hamas seeks to achieve its long-stated goals of destroying the State of Israel and the genocide of the Jewish people through violent jihad and by disseminating fear, not just among Israelis, but also among Palestinians. Israel fully supports a broad international effort to rebuild the civilian infrastructure and economy in Gaza, provided there is a concerted parallel effort to prevent Hamas from rearming itself with weapons systems and rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure. Ultimately, the best guarantee for rebuilding Gaza and developing its economy will be demilitarization. The writer is Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs.