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Source: http://www.nysun.com/article/36207
Opportunity Knocks
[New York Sun] Efraim Karsh and Rory Miller - If the international community is sincere in its desire to see Hamas moderate its position, to see Iran's regional aspirations curtailed, to see the consolidation of democracy in Lebanon, and to see the defeat of the global Islamist terror threat, then an Israeli military campaign that weakens Hizballah is a good thing. Since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hizballah has increased significantly its practical support for the terror activities of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the al-Aqsa Brigades by way of training, supplying arms, and gathering intelligence. Congressional figures published last year linked Hizballah with up to 75 percent of terror attacks against Israel between late 2003 and late 2004. Given such close ties between Hizballah and Hamas, it stands to reason that a weakened Hizballah would result in a weakened Hamas. This in turn may force the current Palestinian Arab government to embrace a more conciliatory path - if only to be spared a similar fate to its role model in Lebanon.