Defeating Hamas

Writing in the WaPost Ephraim Sneh nails Sharon (without mentioning his name) from the right and the left. He says that Hamas will always be a terrorist entity regardless of electoral status and that they must be defeated. Sneh closes by saying that the Gaza pullout "substantially empowered Hamas in the Palestinian street." He then declares that Israel needs to do more to help Abbas. Of course this means more money, which the PA until now has been able to put to good use. Throwing money at the problem without reform is not going to improve anything only buy time and maybe votes.

The US is not even going to bother going down that route. We're pushing Abbas to ban any candidate that does not renounce violence...good luck on that one. Nonetheless it is a good idea and not without precedent. The Germans have a provision in their constitution barring any party that seeks they overthrow of the Federal Republic.