Justinology

Abbas says willing to advance Israel-Hamas ceasefire
By Ali Waked and AFP

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday afternoon that he would be willing to work toward a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following the army’s recent operation in Gaza, which left more than 110 Palestinians dead.

Article Continues… (Yediot Ahronot)

There’s a lot going on in this article, but the part that really sticks out is:

The Palestinian president, who said he would be willing to mediate between the sides when Israel first imposed its blockade on the Strip some two months ago, has suspended the peace talks with Israel in light of Operation Warm Winter.

So, it would seem to me that Abu Mazen should support Israel in the removal of Hamas from power. Hasn’t Abu Mazen’s Fatah faction been fighting with Hamas over control of the Palestinian territories? Didn’t Hamas basically chase Fatah out of the Gaza Strip? Why, then, wouldn’t Abu Mazen support Israel now? With Hamas gone, his main challenge for control over the PA is gone. Is there another agenda I’m missing? (Okay, that was rhetorical, as I’m not missing it at all)

By Herb Keinon

The government has yet to define or approve the overall goals of the current military campaign in the Gaza Strip, and will wait until Wednesday – after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit – to do so, senior government officials said Sunday night.

Defense officials told The Jerusalem Post the IDF had short-term goals for a limited offensive, such as the one now under way, dubbed “Hot Winter,” and longer-term goals for a larger operation.

The longer-term goals for an IDF operation that has not yet been approved by the government include “weakening and even bringing down the Hamas government,” the officials said.

Article Continues… (Jerusalem Post)