So Just What Does Israel Do Now?

Via NYT: After Hamas Victory, Israel's Likely Course

The NYT seems to think that it means Israel acting unilaterally, and I tend to agree.

The Hamas landslide in Palestinian elections has stunned Israelis, but it may also have brought them a rare moment of clarity: with peace talks off the table, Israel will most likely pursue unilateral actions, drawing its own borders and separating itself from the Palestinians.

So, you know, keep building the fence the way you want it. Make your own territorial claims. Forget the Palestinian Authority. They won't negotiate with Hamas unless they recognize their right to exist anyway (which I seriously doubt would happen).

However, some Likud members have already begun piling on the criticism for even allowing Hamas on the ballot, as I mentioned earler.

Yuval Steinitz, a member of Parliament from Likud, said Israel should have prevented or canceled the Palestinian elections. He cited the 1993 Oslo accords, an interim peace agreement that bars the participation of armed groups and those that do not recognize Israel.

And, as far as March elections go, Likud is the clear winner in Hamas' victory.

Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud Party, made clear that the Palestinian results offered an opportunity for his more hawkish message to be heard.

...

In previous Israeli campaigns, Hamas and other Palestinian factions have staged deadly attacks that pushed the Israeli electorate to the right.

In 1996, the Labor Party, led by the dovish Shimon Peres, seemed headed for victory after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by an ultranationalist Israeli. But after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings during the Israeli campaign, Mr. Netanyahu, of Likud, won a narrow victory.

The Palestinians started an uprising in September 2000, and in a February 2001 election for prime minister, Mr. Sharon trounced Ehud Barak, the Labor Party leader, who had tried but failed to reach a comprehensive accord with the Palestinians.

I guess the clear winner is no one, though, when you step back and think about it. Perhaps the Palestinians will be able to have a stronger, more stable, less corrupt government under Hamas, which has a long history of providing excellent bureaucratic sense and governenance both within their organization and in the various municipalities in which they have taken control. But, in the long term, Hamas cannot provide the external security and stability that a Palestinian state would need. In fact, Hamas, as currently constructed, has no chance of even providing Palestinians with even a state.