Israel Thoughts, again...follow follow-up

This is the newest NyTimes article on the debacle in Gaza. For those who might not think their violent takeover is a big deal consider this:

Hamas states in its constitution that one of its goals is to remove Israel of the planet and Jews along with it.

Also, Hamas is an out and out terrorist organization that has taken credit for numerous bombings and attacks in Israel over the years. Although many say that it is a civilian organization, this must be taken with a grain of salt: it is actually an organization not far from the likes of that controlled by Pablo Escabar. So while there is a side of legitimacy (Hamas was, after all, elected in an election in the territories and has been in charge of numerous civilian operations like hospitals, etc.) there is also a dangerous, covert, and fundamentalist side to it that scares the living crap out of me.

Hamas is not willing to recognize, let alone live peacably alongside, Israel (because Jews are inherently the enemy) and is thus unwilling to cooperate in peace talks. Any hopes for a two-state solution are pretty much in the past tense at this point.

It is hard to imagine the Palestinian territories controlled completely by Hamas ever not engaging in some kind of war with Israel. It would not matter who fired the first shot--the two are fundamentally opposed to each other: it is in each's essence to destroy the other.

Someone needs to explain to me how Hamas's violent (and, it looks like, complete) political and military takeover of the territories is a good thing. It is bad for a two-state, placating solution; it is bad for the Palestinians whose political rights have been usurped (what if the democrats killed republican leaders, bombed their offices, and established complete power? surely there would be no republican voter feeling safe in his\her opinion); it is bad for the Israelis, who are forced to either act and be aggressive or not act and risk the appearance of weakness; and, of course, it is bad for the whole world's wish for peace.

Here's to a miracle awakening on the part of Hamas's leadership...may they see that political control needs not be used for monomaniacal thoughts of violence and domination but for a united front towards independence and peace.