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Hamas's Choice - Editorial
Western governments should stick to the principle already articulated by the Bush administration: that "a future Palestinian Authority cabinet should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israel's right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism." If Hamas will not meet that condition, then it should be condemned to governing Gaza and the West Bank in diplomatic isolation, without European, U.S., or World Bank aid. (Washington Post)
Hamas Without Veils: No More Hiding Behind the PA
by Emanuele Ottolenghi
By winning, Hamas has to govern, which means they have to tell the world, very soon, a number of things. They will have to say whether they accept the roadmap. They will have to take control over security and decide whether they use it to wage war. Until this week, the PA could hide behind the excuse that they were not directly responsible for rockets fired on Israel or suicide attacks against civilians, and they could not rein in the "militants." Now the "militants" are the militia of the ruling party. Hamas and the PA will be the same. (National Review)
Will Hamas Turn Moderate?
by Orly Halpern
 According to Dr. Yoram Meital, Chair of the Middle East Studies Department at Ben-Gurion University, "I think there is a big chance that a large and important part of Hamas will show more pragmatism." He added that the militant elements of Hamas will insist on continuing the war against Israel, and end up breaking off from Hamas and joining the Islamic Jihad - which refuses to participate in the elections or in any negotiations. (Jerusalem Post)
Can You 'Sell' Israel?
by Eytan Schwartz
 Have you got a great slogan to "sell" Israel? Think PR is your specialty? This is your chance to determine Israel's image overseas. And there's a great prize too. If you've got an original slogan that "sells" Israel, you've got a week to send it to us. The writer of the winning slogan will win a trip to Israel. Joey Low, the man behind Israel at Heart, says a slogan can be a great gimmick. (Ynet News)
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In the Mideast, a Giant Step Back - Editorial
Hamas grew out of a terrorist organization that has undermined every small step toward peace with mass murder. And on Wednesday, Palestinians voted almost two to one to put Hamas in charge of running their government. For there to be any hope of getting out of the impasse in the Middle East, one of those two central facts must change. President Bush was absolutely right when he said, "A political party that articulates the destruction of Israel as part of its platform is a party with which we will not deal." (New York Times)
Israeli Elections: Running to the Center
by Stewart Ain
In outlining their party’s platform on future Palestinian relations, the leaders of Israel’s three main political parties offered few differences this week as they resumed their campaigning following a three-week hiatus   caused by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's crippling stroke. “What distinguished their performance was precisely the fact that both [Labor Party leader Amir] Peretz (pictured left) and [Likud Party leader Benjamin] Netanyahu (pictured right) made an effort to move towards the center,” said Yossi Alpher, a political analyst and co-founder of the Israeli-Palestinian Web site www.bitterlemons.com. (New York Jewish Week)
Israel vs Iran - Family Feud. Not So Alien, After All
 Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says Israel is an alien implantation whose people should return to Europe or perhaps settle in Alaska. So it is an irony that Israel's president, Moshe Katzav, is in fact a Farsi-speaker born in Iran. Ditto Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz (pictured), who is doubtless preoccupied nowadays with how to destroy Iran's nuclear program. He is advised by Dan Halutz, Israel's former air-force commander and now chief of staff. Lt.-Gen. Halutz was born in Israel, both his parents in Iran. They seem to have taught him a sense of humor. Asked how far Israel would go to stop Iran's nuclear program, he replied: “two thousand kilometers.” (Economist)
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