Israel is in no rush to crush Hamas government
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3181591/posts
IDF fears that, without Hamas, Gaza could descend into a Somalia-like situation, in which dozens of gangs or clans would take over various parts of the strip.
The next 48 hours in the Gaza Strip will likely bring more of the same: Israeli air strikes, murmurs about a limited Israel Defense Forces ground operation and continued rocket fire from the Strip to central and southern Israel. But there is also a slim chance of reaching a cease–fire agreement.
Contacts aimed at achieving this are ongoing on two different fronts: one Egyptian, and the other Qatari-Turkish. The Palestinian Authority is maneuvering on both channels. The United States, surprisingly, in light of Israel’s wishes, seems to be flirting with getting involved on the second front. This makes the Qatari-Turkish option more attractive to Hamas, as not only does it turn a cold shoulder to Egypt which recently tried to force an agreement on the organization, but it also creates a roundabout channel to the Americans.
In the meantime, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Cairo. Egypt and the PA are discussing sending 300 Palestinian security personnel to the Rafah border crossing. Opening the crossing is Hamas’ most important demand, but Cairo is setting a high price: Restoring the PA presence in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven years.
“Cairo is setting a high price: Restoring the PA presence in the Gaza Strip”
There is a real strategic threat to Hamas - arm up Fatah to root them out in their sleep and to take over the government and take away their funding sources.
Neither the Israelis nor the Egyptians are likely to want the long term responsibility, expense and hassle of ruling the Gaza strip. Giving a competing brutal gang of thugs the right to pilfer in return for doing the dirty work of assassinating Hamas operatives without trial is a low cost option to get the job done. Fatah has a score to settle with Hamas for how they were treated when Hamas won an election.
Maybe that is why al Sisi was meeting with Abbas recently. Coordinating a date for Hamas’s day in the barrel.