Israel marked all members of Hamas for death after the group claimed responsibility for an Aug. 19 suicide bombing in Jerusalem.
The attack, which targeted children on their way home from Judaism's holiest site, can leave no doubt that Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has little ability to control the extremists that now represent his struggle.
President Bush pushed for the appointment of a prime minister to head the Palestinian Authority in the hopes that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would fade from the scene - just the opposite has happened.
The embattled leader retains control over the majority of Palestinian security forces, and, according to a recent New York Times interview with a Palestinian legislator, Qadoura Fares, strong American and Israeli support of Abbas has "moved people closer to Arafat."
The power struggle between Abbas and Arafat is indicative of a larger dispute between Palestinian statesmen and militants.
Hamas' stated objective is the destruction of Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state in its place. Arafat has done nothing to distance himself from this ideology - in fact, there is evidence that he supports it.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a group of West Bank militants affiliated with Arafat's Fatah faction. In 2002, the Al-Aqsa Brigades' attacks killed more Israelis than those of Hamas.
According to an interview conducted in March 2002 by USA Today, the Brigades answer directly to the president of the Palestinian Authority. Maslama Thabet, one of the group's leaders, told the newspaper "we receive our instructions from Fatah, our commander is Yasser Arafat himself."
In sharp contrast, Abbas has taken steps to counter the influence of extremists.
Following the latest attacks, the prime minister followed through on his promise to freeze the assets of charities linked to Hamas.
In order to make real progress, Abbas must have more control over the Palestinian security forces.
This will be nearly impossible with the continued influence of Arafat. By supporting the U.S.-backed road map for peace, Abbas alienates his militant peers, who view any negotiations as a sign of weakness.
They, in turn, move closer to Arafat who is more than willing to indulge their radical ideas as long as it keeps him in power. With no one in the Palestinian Authority capable of brokering a meaningful cease-fire, the Israelis are left with very few options but warfare.
The road map cannot be successful as long as Palestinian leaders who endorse it lose support by doing so.
Abbas might be a reasonable man, but he seems to be a minority in a movement dominated by militancy.
If the Israelis were dealing with a reasonable adversary, their concessions in the form of prisoner releases and withdrawals from Palestinian towns would have been met with reciprocal peace offerings.
Hamas responded by sending one of its own to slaughter as many Jewish civilians as possible. It is impossible to reason with such insanity.
Former President Kennedy once said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate."
Israel cannot allow its apprehension of terrorism to drive it into peace talks predicated on false pretenses. If Abbas has no ability to control Hamas, maybe Israeli tanks will do a better job.
John O'Connor is a law student and State News guest columnist. He can be reached at oconn146@msu.edu.
