Israel Growing More Impatient With Hamas

With every bombing or naming of a terrorist to a political office, Hamas isolates themselves more and more. And now Israel is openly speaking about moving in and occupying the Gaza Strip again.

(AP/Yahoo)"If the price we have to pay becomes unreasonable as a result of increased attacks, then we shall have to take all steps, including occupying the Gaza Strip," Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, head of Israel's southern command, told the Maariv daily.

Events over the last week have really accelerated things. Including a suicide bomber that killed nine. And it doesn't help when Hamas takes this approach

the Hamas leadership has said attacks carried out by other groups, including Monday's suicide bombing that killed nine, are justified.

Follow that up by naming Jamal Abu Samhadana, another terrorist, to form and lead a "security" force.

During five years of fighting, Israel has killed dozens of militants in "targeted killings." Samhadana is high on Israel's wanted list and has been the target of at least one attempted Israeli assassination.

"We have old scores to settle with this murderer," Israeli Cabinet minister Zeev Boim told Israel Radio. "He has no immunity and we will have to settle this score sooner or later."

Samhadana's group, the Popular Resistance Committees, has launched dozens of homemade rockets at Israel in recent weeks. It also is suspected of involvement in the October 2003 bombing in Gaza of a U.S. Embassy convoy, which killed three American security guards.

I have said this before, as long as Hamas continues to promote the destruction of Israel and puts certified terrorists in high ranking positions, they should continue to expect to be treated like terrorists. Hamas needs to show that they are serious about bringing the Palestinian people out of this cycle of violence. Then and only then will a Palestinian state be a viable option.