Will Hamas accept Israeli incentives?
Israel is reportedly considering offering Hamas incentives in the Gaza Strip, following the movement not getting involved in the latest confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad.
The latest round of military escalation between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 12-14 has killed 34 Palestinians and injured 111 others, in addition to 65 Israeli wounded. The exchange of fire erupted after Israel assassinated Islamic Jihad military commander Bahaa Abu el-Atta in a targeted strike on his house in Gaza on Nov. 12.
The escalation this time was limited to confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad only, without clear participation from Hamas.
Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri told Al-Aqsa satellite channel Nov. 19 that the disrupted coordination between the two movements led to lack of organization in responding to the assassination. Yet Hamas offers direct military aid to all armed factions, he added.
Shortly after Hamas announced its disengagement from the recent confrontation, Haaretz reported Nov. 14 that the Israeli army and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) advised the government to provide Gaza with economic incentives. The newspaper reported that Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett supports this step, without showing that Hamas is coordinating with Israel to avoid embarrassing it before the Palestinian public.
