The decision of Israeli authorities to allow only a small minority of Palestinians resident in East Jerusalem to cast their votes in the city (about 5,000 out of 100,000, according to the Los Angeles Times), combined with Israel's refusal to allow Hamas on the ballot in the city, raises a lot of questions and in my mind a lot of suspicions. The experience of the British in Northern Ireland, where the Irish Republican Army has renounced violence in favor of the political process through Sinn Fein, could be a model for Israel and Palestine. This would, however, mean encouraging Hamas to participate in elections rather than barring them from doing so.

In fact, as some Palestinian leaders have pointed out, this will increase sympathy for Hamas in other parts of Palestine. Of course the Israelis know this. Could this actually be what some Israeli leaders want? After all, a good showing by Hamas would help Israel make its case that the Palestinians can never be a partner for peace. All the tears currently being shed over Ariel Sharon do not change a basic reality: The pullout from Gaza is, and always was, intended as a ploy to help Israel solidify its hold over the West Bank. As I have suggested in previous posts, Israel continues to make suckers out of all of us--especially American Jews, of which, as I have also pointed out previously, I am one.