In the past four days, Hamas has fired over 422 rockets into Israel.
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The most recent reports out of Israel indicate that Hamas has personnel training in Iran.
Pavilonis and Nabavi both said the conflict between Israeli and Hamas has not affected gold prices yet.
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Responding to the tape, Hamas spokesman Sam Abu Zuhri said Hamas has "a different ideology" than that of al Qaeda.
Riding on his bus, McCain insisted his position on Hamas has always been the same -- no negotiation until it renounces its belief that Israel should not exist.
Ami Ayalon, a government minister and a former head of the Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence agency, argues that Hamas has already shown the potential to become more moderate.
To allay the fears of Europeans nervous of accusations that they are sponsoring terrorists, Hamas has also agreed to keep paying for its own public-sector appointees, such as policemen and teachers.
Mrs Merkel has spoken of her commitment to helping resolve the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, but the Islamist militant movement Hamas has accused her of ignoring Israeli actions in Gaza.
Yet, bending to the chill American wind blowing out of Iraq and through its now-closed offices in Damascus, Hamas has been making conciliatory noises and intends to continue talks with Mr Abbas's government.
If, as the Egyptians and Fatah would like but Hamas has so far opposed, the Palestinians concoct a cabinet of technocrats rather than ideologues, Gazans may get their aid and peace talks with Israel may resume.
Things could perhaps improve if an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas has held captive in Gaza for more than three years, is freed in a prisoner exchange that might, according to latest reports, see 450 Palestinian prisoners also released.
"I think it's disappointing because John McCain always says, 'Well, I'm not going to run that kind of politics, ' and then to engage in that kind of smear I think is unfortunate, particularly since my policy on Hamas has been no different than his, " Obama said.
Mr Dahlan, who once ran security in Gaza, his home base, until ousted by Hamas, has left the West Bank too, apparently for fear of arrest.
On the other hand, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who I think genuinely wants peace, has to deal with Hamas, an organization that has not recognized Israel and has not disavowed violence.
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The Egyptian journalist who interviewed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit just after Hamas freed him has defended herself against Israeli criticism.
Russia, which has invited Hamas leaders for talks (to Israel's fury), has a large Muslim population which may offer conduits of its own.
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An important fact to remember is that President Mahmoud Abbas retains all presidential authority that was exercised by Yasir Arafat when he negotiated the Oslo Agreement, and the Hamas prime minister has stated that his government supports peace talks between Israel and Abbas.
Reports have again begun to circulate that Hamas may free an Israeli corporal, Gilad Shalit, who has been held by Hamas in Gaza for three years.
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"Political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal has notified Hamas's consultative council that he does not wish to be a candidate for the movement's future leadership, " the AFP news agency quoted the statement as saying on Sunday.
It is true that since King Abdullah closed Hamas's offices and expelled its leaders from Jordan in 1999, the kingdom has advanced an anti-Hamas policy.
That tension has gradually divided Hamas in Gaza, where the party is strongest, from Hamas in the West Bank, where it is both weaker and more moderate.
Just as Arafat has to control Hamas, Misuari must coax the MILF and the other militant groups to express their dissent at the polls rather than with pistols.
Even if deposed as head of Hamas's politburo, he may fancy replacing Mr Abbas as head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the umbrella that covers all Palestinian outfits, though it has hitherto excluded Hamas.
At the same time, Egypt has tried to mediate between Fatah and Hamas, and the tensions between those two groups have spilled over to gun battles and Egypt has tried to mediate, and Egypt has also been providing quite a lot of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
And for the moment at least, it appears that Iran has decided to let Hamas go down.
But it is a difficult subject for Egypt, which has no fondness for Hamas, the Palestinian off-shoot of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The comments reflected the general tone that the U.S. has historically taken toward Hamas, which the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist group.
Statements like these from Kadima's leaders make it difficult for Netanyahu to withstand claims by the likes of Scowcroft, Mitchell and British Foreign Minister David Miliband that the time has come to recognize Hamas.
Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign-policy supremo, has warned that a Hamas victory could mean funds to the PA being cut off, although opinions of European member states vary widely as to how best to deal with such a situation.
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