Members of Hamas worry about becoming, in effect, a religious version of the Palestinian Authority
This article was updated at 8am GMT on November 14th, 2019, to reflect the announcement of a ceasefire, as well as a higher death toll.that was launched shortly before dawn on November 12th was just the beginning. Around 4am that morning, an Israeli aircraft struck a house in Gaza, killing Baha Abu al-Ata, a commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, and his wife. The group responded by firing hundreds of rockets at Israel .
To maintain its grip on power, Hamas would rather strike a truce with Israel in exchange for an easing of the blockade. But this would be unpopular with its own militant cadres. More thoughtful members of Hamas worry about becoming, in effect, a religious version of the Palestinian Authority , the feckless semi-autonomous government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
To form a new government he must convince the centrist Blue and White party to join him in coalition. But its leadership has so far refused, citing the criminal investigations against the prime minister, which are expected within weeks to culminate in bribery and fraud indictments. Mr Netanyahu has tried to break down their resistance by wooing Blue and White’s leader, Benny Gantz, a former army chief.
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