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Source: http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/isr1.php
Ceasefire - But Only in Gaza
[bitterlemons.org] Yossi Alpher - The moment Hamas insists that a tahdiya, or pause in the fighting, extend to the West Bank as well, Israel has every reason to reject this demand, and the West Bank-based PA and neighboring Jordan have every reason to be suspicious. The Hamas ceasefire demand regarding the West Bank must be understood as a blatant attempt to weaken Fatah, Israel's peace negotiating partner, and even to replace it as ruler of the West Bank as well as Gaza. Given the PA's difficulty in combating West Bank terrorists - it is only beginning to deal successfully with criminal (not terrorist) activity in some key areas - Israeli compliance with Hamas' demand to cease all efforts to intercept terrorists in the West Bank would have a double negative effect. In the short run, it would portray Hamas as the stronger and more effective representative of Palestinian needs and aspirations, thereby weakening Fatah and the PA. In the long run, by allowing Hamas to operate freely in the West Bank, it would open the door to a Hamas takeover there. The writer is former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University.