Battle For Gaza: Why?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6748811.stm

The conflict stems from Hamas winning the 2006 Palestinian elections. As a result, Israel, the United States, and the European Union, imposed sanctions upon the Palestinian Territories, thus suspending all foreign aid, upon which the impoverished Palestinians depend heavily on. The sanctions were coupled with the conditions that a resumption of aid will occur if Hamas fulfills the “Three Demands” of recognizing Israel, accepting agreements made by the defeated Fatah regime and denouncing violence. Despite the sanctions, and incidences of successful border prohibition, Hamas leaders were able to smuggle enough money into the Palestinian territories to maintain basic health and educational services. The defeated Fatah party maintained control of most of the Palestinian security apparatus. The US administration funded and armed Mahmud Abbas' Presidential Guard and Gaza-based Fatah warlord, Mohammed Dahlan.

The question that must be answered is: why did the U.S., E.U., and Israel give HAMAS a chance to effectively govern and essentially prove its legitimacy to the international arena? On many instances HAMAS unexplicitly recognized the now famous "THREE DEMANDS" of the United States. The U.S. should have been more diplomatic and allowed HAMAS to govern, as we all know, every politcian comes into office with high hopes and strong ideology, as we are all students of history, and then is forced to moderate his or her views with the hit of realism and pragmatism. HAMAS is no different, HAMAS senior leadership were not operating with the goals of establishing an Islamic State in the Gaza Strip, they were operating out of fear of being destroyed by the U.S. thus acted with complete rationality by ousting their enemies yet reassuring the masses that Shariah Law will not be implemented as policy.

HAMAS's popularity stems from its various services provided to the impoverished people of Palestine including: "Charitable societies, hospitals, dispensaries, kindergarten and schools, sporting clubs, elderly homes, zakat committees, computing centers, libraries, scholarships, legal aid, summer camps, and recreation facilities" (Mandaville 211). HAMAS in the eyes of the people is not viewed as the militant terrorist organization, the view that the propenderance of Americans understand, HAMAS is understoo as a multi-faceted organization, a community organization that actually cares for the people, and is not as corrupt in comparison to the PLO.