http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/yossi_melman/2009/01/hamas_benefits_from_palestinia.html



Since there is no lack of justification here for Hamas, perhaps we can look at the other viewpoint...

"Israel had no choice but to defend itself. Many in the world's public opinion bash and accuse Israel of using disproportional and excessive force. This is a false accusation. It is Hamas which refuses to lay down its weapons and shows no respect for the very civilian population that it claims to represent. Hamas leaders have not shown their faces in public. They have disconnected themselves from their own people. They have stopped functioning and have cowardly taken shelters in hospitals and kindergartens, using women and children as human shields. "



"Israel is ready to stop the war immediately. Israel has no desire to reoccupy Gaza. Israel knows that it can't eliminate Hamas as a force. Israeli demands are simple, limited and modest: stop shelling Israeli towns and villages and stop smuggling into Gaza Iranian-made and supported weapons and rockets. If these two terms are met, a long and credible cease fire can be brokered within a day or two."