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Is Hamas Committed to the Ceasefire?

[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Yoram Cohen - Last week, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired around eighty rockets into southern Israel, including the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Considering Hamas' history of violence against Israel, its commitment to the ceasefire is open to serious question. Hamas' primary long-term goal is the liberation of historic Palestine "from the sea to the river" and the foundation of an independent state based on Islamic religious law. This would require the destruction of the State of Israel and control over the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Prior to the recent spasm of violence, Palestinian organizations in Gaza had violated the ceasefire more than forty times by launching rockets and mortar shells and by detonating improvised explosive devices against IDF patrols along the fence separating Israel from Gaza. As expected, Hamas is using the lull to strengthen its military capabilities. Yet its military infrastructure is weak in the West Bank, and it has difficulty executing major attacks inside Israel. Although certain Hamas officials (particularly in the military wing) want to abandon the ceasefire altogether, most of its leaders will most likely continue to emphasize the truce's benefits and maintain the agreement for the near term. Hamas leaders, however, will continue to encourage and assist the group's West Bank elements in executing large-scale attacks inside Israel. Hamas will also threaten or attack senior PA officials who act against the group's infrastructure in the West Bank, in an effort to curb this activity. The writer is a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute.
2008-11-17 08:00:00
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