Hamas Amps Up Anti-Jewish Rant

But Israel may not deal with Hamas

(AP) - Palestinians have reached initial agreement on reuniting their rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza, a step that would remove a main obstacle in the way of peace efforts with Israel. Fatah and Hamas officials said the plan, brokered by Egypt, calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days. The government would administer day-to-day business until new presidential and legislative elections are held in exactly one year. More»

18 injured in Israeli counterstrike

(NEWSER) - Fresh violence in Gaza today threatened the fragile ceasefire as George Mitchell called for a lasting truce between Hamas and Israel, AFP reports. An Israeli air strike wounded 18 Palestinians, including 11 children and a pregnant woman. The Israeli army said it was targeting a Hamas policeman responsible for a bombing that killed an Israeli soldier 2 days ago. More»

(NEWSER) - Israel dropped leaflets on the Gaza strip today warning inhabitants of an escalation in the 2-week offensive against Hamas militants, the BBC reports. The leaflets assured civilians that the action was against “Hamas and the terrorists only” and urged people to stay away from military targets. The development could signal a deeper incursion by Israeli ground forces into Gazan cities and refugee camps, the BBC notes. More»

Lack of results confirmed the case for violence

(NEWSER) - Hamas has long argued that negotiating with Israel won’t help Palestine—and that belief drove its decision to end a six-month ceasefire on December 19, writes Stephen Farrell in the New York Times. While it's possible Hamas leaders underestimated the scale of the Israeli response, which has cost more than 300 Palestinian lives in the last 4 days, it's also possible that they welcome the attacks, which have restored Hamas’ image as the “champion” of Palestinian resistance. More»

Western imports ease daily stress, but fuel the fundamentalists' ire

(NEWSER) - Culture is the quiet battleground in Gaza, where Jennifer Lopez pouts on CD covers beside religious paperbacks on store shelves, the New York Times reports. Combating daily food shortages and feeling isolated, Gazans escape with soap operas, sitcoms, and music—homegrown or imported from the West. But recent incidents—from a party host beaten for serving alcohol, to a theater director held at gunpoint—have heightened cultural tensions. More»