Israel does not want to increase hardships in Gaza

Occupied Jerusalem: Unprepared for the Hamas coup last week that routed the Fatah faction from Gaza, Israel is now faced with the quandary of what to do with the sudden emergence of an Islamic militant ministate on its borders.

The dilemma for Israel, which supplies or allows the shipment of food, fuel, and other goods to Gaza, is whether it should encumber or enable Hamas. Some here argue for engagement; others want isolation.

Hanging in the balance is the potential for a humanitarian crisis for the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza, a majority of whom already live in poverty and are effectively shut off from the outside world. If all of the entry points to Gaza remain closed, the United Nations says, there will be food shortages in about 10 days.

If demands for fuel, electricity, clean water, and medical supplies are left unmet, that could trigger a slew of health and environmental problems.

"We want to work to make sure aid and foodstuffs can flow. Obviously, the whole international community has to adjust to this reality and find solutions to the humanitarian issues," says Mark Regev, the spokesman of the Israeli foreign ministry.

"Israel has no interest whatsoever in creating even greater hardship in Gaza."

But it does have an interest in seeing an outpouring of aid for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader who dismissed his national unity government after Hamas took Gaza last week.

The implicit message to Palestinians: Life is likely to get better under the moderate Palestinian National Authority (PA) run by Fatah in the West Bank and a lot worse for Palestinians living under Hamas in Gaza.

Gaza's economy has been dependent on Israel since it was occupied in the Six-Day War of 40 years ago.

A Hamas official says that Esmail Haniya - who maintains that he is still prime minister after his dismissal by Abbas - has expressed a willingness to deal with Israel on the level of everyday practicalities.

But everyone Israel used to coordinate with on the Palestinian side is no longer there, says Regev. "Are we supposed to work with militants, when these are the same militants who are holding Gilad Shalit?" [Israeli army Corporal Shalit was kidnapped outside Gaza about a year ago.]