BICOM

What does the murder of three teens in the West Bank at the hands of Hamas operatives mean for Palestinian reconciliation?

Israel was disappointed at the speed with which both the US and the EU embraced the Palestinian unity government when it was announced at the beginning of June.

But within the Israeli government, there was also a debate about how to relate to it.

Prime Minister Netanyahu took the position that any reconciliation between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas was antithetical to peace with Israel, and said there could be no talks under such conditions.

Tzipi Livni argued that Israel should make a distinction between the unity government – which itself contains no Hamas members – and Hamas itself, and continue to deal with the former.

The cabinet ultimately declared it would not negotiate with a government backed by a terror group. But it held off from announcing immediate sanctions. Israel was watching to see how the deal would play out.

Read the full article at The Jewish Chronicle.