(Newser Summary)
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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.
But will the majority of Palestinians blame Israel for the renewed violence, or will they, as Fatah, Israel, and Western allies hope, blame Hamas for inciting it? At the moment, most are “loudly” blaming Israel. But even after its attacks, if Israel were to say “‘We want a political solution, let’s reach an agreement,’ it would be completely accepted by the majority of the Palestinian people,” said one Palestinian observer.
Source:
New York Times
