Hamas's Moves

Allison Kaplan Sommer is probably right when she says:"All of what's going on seems like code for, 'He's a goner but no one is going to be the person to pull the plug on his life support.'". Indeed the battle for influence in post-Arafat Palestinian politics has already begun. Al-Jazeera reports that Hamas has called for a unified Palestinian leadership, insisting they can function as a pragmatic political movement alongside Fatah. Fatah officials are less sure, and many in Israel would oppose negotiating with a government that includes Hamas in a significant way.