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Palestinian Peacemakers vs. Their Spoilers
(Newsday) Jonathan S. Paris - * Hizballah, the Damascus headquarters of both Palestine Islamic Jihad and Hamas, and their backers in Syria and Iran each has its own interest in keeping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict raging. * Hizballah has cleverly stashed thousands of rockets in urban areas, mosques, hospitals, and other public buildings, leaving Israel momentarily without an internationally acceptable military solution to Hizballah-instigated suicide bombings and cross-border attacks. But it would be folly for Hizballah to think it is immune from retaliation. * The PA is more likely now than before the Tel Aviv bombing to insist that it must have a monopoly on weapons in the territories. The state of Palestine will have little chance of being realized if Hamas becomes another Hizballah: a political party with independent military capabilities. * Otherwise, Hamas will have the power, like Hizballah, to launch a suicide bomb or a rocket across the border whenever it chooses to destabilize the Palestinian government. The writer is senior associate member of St. Antony's College, Oxford University.