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Source: http://www.sacbee.com/110/v-print/story/188657.html
The Uncivil War in Gaza
[Sacramento Bee] Edward S. Walker Jr. - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on May 17, when asked about the possibility of Hamas signing a peace agreement with Israel, answered: "With Hamas? No way....Hamas will never sign a peace agreement with Israel if it stays in power." And therein lies the secret. It is time for Hamas to go. Egypt, Israel, Jordan or the United States would be justified to take steps to bring an end to its illegitimate posture as the government of the Palestinian territories. Hamas came to power through a so-called democratic election, and too many assumed that this established legitimacy. But the reality is that you cannot have a democratic election in a state that is not a democracy. You cannot have a democratic election when the state does not control the levers of power. And you cannot have a democratic election when the electorate is under the control of competing armed militias. Now is the time to work with the Palestinians, the Egyptians and Jordanians on an exit strategy for Hamas. The writer is adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute and its former president. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Israel and Egypt and as assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs.