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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21106/hamas-must-be-defeated
Hamas Must Be Defeated, Not Legitimized
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - More than a year after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to view the Iran-backed Islamist movement as a legitimate partner. Last week, representatives of the PA's ruling Fatah faction (headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas) and Hamas held talks in Cairo to discuss establishing a joint administration to rule Gaza. By negotiating with Hamas about the future of Gaza, Abbas is legitimizing the terror group and sending a message to the Palestinians and the rest of the world that he sees no problem with dealing with murderers and terrorists who committed the most horrific crimes against Jews since the Holocaust. Abbas should, instead, be condemning Hamas and distancing himself from the terror group. He should be holding Hamas fully responsible for the destruction of Gaza as a result of the war it started. Moreover, Abbas should be urging Hamas to relinquish control over Gaza instead of begging it to agree to form a joint committee to manage its affairs. Ever since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, thousands of Palestinians have been killed in wars they initiated with Israel. With the help of Europe, Qatar and Iran, Hamas transformed Gaza into one of the largest bases for Islamist terrorism in the Middle East. Hamas should not be permitted to play any role in Gaza after the war. This would allow the terror group to rearm and regroup and prepare for another Oct. 7-style attack on Israel. The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs.