Ignoring Hamas makes the organization more radical

Israel's recent incursions into the Gaza Strip and the resulting carnage have drawn condemnation from the international community. Yet the Israeli leadership considers the attacks on Hamas an indispensable part of their national defense, without which southern Israel would be exposed to incessant rocket attacks from across the border.

The most obvious and horrific result of Israel's actions are the deaths of 1,200 Palestinians, many of them women, children and other non-combatants. This carnage casts doubt on the morality of Israel's methods over the past few weeks and ensures that the violence in Gaza will continue. Recognizing Hamas, instead of fighting it, would help end this cycle.

Since Israel's conception, many important figures within the Israeli government have concluded that the Palestinians are unfailingly hostile to Israel's existence and that only a strong military deterrent will secure the nation. They believe that Israel will only be safe if its enemies are too afraid to attack.

The Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, which eased tensions for a few months of 2008, expired on Dec. 19, and Hamas refused to renew it. Rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel, already increasing in frequency after the summer lull, came with renewed intensity. Shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued an ultimatum, Israel began Operation Cast Lead.

The Israel Defense Forces sent tanks across the border and began targeted air and artillery strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. The Israeli commanders hope to dismantle most of Hamas' rocket-launching capacity and to destroy the tunnels stretching across the border with Egypt through which weapons are smuggled. With Olmert's recent cease-fire offer, the Israelis claim to have achieved their goals.

The IDF has therefore made it clear that attacking Israel has consequences and that they have also destroyed significant portions of Hamas' rocket supplies, while the Israeli government and its allies work with Egypt to stop rocket smuggling permanently and to prevent Hamas from rearming.

While this strategy may provide Israel with peace for the next few months or perhaps even years, the resulting radicalization of Gaza and the greater Arab world may have difficult consequences. Divisions between Hamas' factions have healed under the Israeli barrage, increasing their organizational effectiveness and coordination.

Their popularity with Gazans is increasing, although it remains to be seen if this will last or if fear of Israel will temper that good will. Hamas' leaders also know that if they just survive and make a minimal show of resistance, their cause will benefit from Israel's brutality through the increased support from their own people, the larger Arab world and the international community. Indeed, it seems likely that Israel's attempt to suppress Hamas might backfire and instead swell the ranks of its recruits.

Did Israel really need to cause such widespread damage and suffering? If the only objective was to stop the rocket attacks, would it not make more sense to work with Egypt to seal its border with Gaza?

In that case, with no more rockets slipping across the border, Hamas would be hard pressed to continue its rocket campaign.

Operation Cast Lead is a myopic plan which disregards the roots of the conflict. At the core of the conflict are the twin problems of poverty and radicalism. Impoverished Palestinians are essentially imprisoned in Gaza and provided with little material goods or opportunities for education or employment.

It is no surprise that many Palestinians become desperate and turn to radical ideologies and violence. Any permanent solution to the conflict must encourage the development of a Palestinian moderate mainstream. Unless the majority of Gazans see an improvement in their living conditions and are allowed to exercise the sovereignty they were promised, they will continue to support Hamas in attacks on Israel.

The violence must be reduced and the poverty of the territory must be alleviated in order to pull Palestinians away from joining violent factions. Israel's deterrence strategy only intensifies Palestinian hatred and builds support for Hamas. Introducing more misery into the already difficult lives of the Gazans simply worsens poverty, which in turn brings in new recruits for Hamas and other extremist organizations.

Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes of the "road map to peace" era was the decision by the European Union and U.S. to cut off funds to the Palestinian Legislative Council when Hamas won a majority during the 2006 election. Instead of excluding and ignoring Hamas, Israel and its allies should engage Hamas and push the organization to become more moderate. Hamas was barred from participating in the democratic process and unsurprisingly turned to terrorism instead. Although Hamas' charter commits it to the destruction of the Israeli state, its leadership remains open to a long-term truce.

While the Israelis would certainly feel more comfortable negotiating with a less inimical organization, the unfortunate reality is that there is no choice. The radicalism that Hamas represents will only begin to wane if the Palestinians are able to enjoy peace and prosperity, which they will not get unless Hamas agrees to a truce. That will never happen as long as they are ignored and shunned by the diplomatic community.

JM Cummings is a senior history major.