[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

That's it.

From this moment on, absolutely any and every act of violence against
Israel - be it a mortar from Gaza or a rock thrown near Ramallah - is the
responsibility of Mahmoud Abbas and the PA.

And what of ongoing violence? Every minute that Gilad Shalit is held
captive by the Palestinians is an ongoing act of violence.

And thus, the responsibility for this ongoing act of violence is no longer
the responsibility of Hamas - it is ultimately the responsibility of Mahmoud
Abbas and the PA.]

MIDDLE EAST NEWS
MAY 7, 2011.Hamas Leader Nods to New Partners .Article Comments (28) more in
Middle East ».
By CHARLES LEVINSON And MATT BRADLEY
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576307510480968584.html?KEYWORDS=hamas#printMode

CAIRO—Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said his movement will make decisions
about how to wage its struggle with Israel, including if and when to use
violence, in consensus with more moderate Palestinian factions.

"How to manage the resistance, what's the best way to achieve our goals,
when to escalate and when to cease fire, now we have to agree on all those
decisions as Palestinians," said Mr. Meshaal in an interview with The Wall
Street Journal in Cairo.

Mr. Meshaal also stood firm behind Hamas's right to armed struggle against
Israel. Israel and Western powers have demanded that Hamas renounce violence
permanently, which the group hasn't yet done.

Yet the Hamas leader's comments in the interview suggested a power-sharing
agreement signed Wednesday between his militant party and the more moderate
Fatah party could significantly change the Palestinian approach toward the
peace process.

Mr. Meshaal said that decisions on "negotiations with Israel, domestic
governance, foreign affairs, domestic security and resistance and other
field activities" against Israel, would all be reached in consensus between
Palestinian factions.

If Mr. Meshaal follows through on his pledge, it would mean that Hamas would
no longer attack Israel without the agreement of Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader, who has long opposed violence.

Aides to Mr. Abbas said that in closed-door negotiations in Cairo ahead of
the signing of the Egypt-brokered reconciliation agreement, Mr. Meshaal said
his movement was prepared to adopt a strategy of nonviolent resistance, at
least for the time being. "They accept nonviolent resistance. That's what
Meshaal said in closed meetings," said Nabil Shath, a senior aide to Mr.
Abbas who was present in those meetings. "He said 'we cannot do violence and
you do nonviolence. It does not work out.' "

Hamas has scaled back its use of violence in recent years, halting suicide
bombings and reining in the firing of rockets at Israel. Still, Hamas
militants in the West Bank were responsible for a number of shootings of
Israeli settlers in the West Bank last year. Last month, Hamas militants in
Gaza fired an antitank missile at an Israeli school bus, killing one child.

Palestinian leaders have said they hope the agreement can strengthen their
hand in dealing with Israel. Yet Israel has shown no indication that it is
considering softening its position toward Hamas.

A senior Israeli official said Mr. Meshaal's recent comments were unlikely
to convince Israel that Hamas was moving away from violence. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has called on Mr. Abbas to annul the agreement with
Hamas.

"We don't buy that," the official said. "Its actions prove otherwise and
Hamas's charter clearly calls for the destruction of Israel and all-out
jihad."

Obama administration officials said they were studying Mr. Meshaal's
comments in recent days as well as the policy implications of the unity
government that has been formed between Hamas and Fatah.

These officials said the U.S. remained open to including Hamas in the
Mideast peace process, provided they formally renounced violence and
recognize Israel's right to exist, as set out by the so-called Quartet of
nations and entities mediating the peace process.

"We're going to wait and make our assessment as we actually see what unfolds
from this moment on," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday.

In the past, Hamas and Fatah, the two dominant Palestinian factions, have
usually worked at loggerheads, with Hamas at times using violence to derail
peace talks with Israel, and Fatah using its control over the security
services to weaken Hamas politically.

A short-lived 2006 power-sharing agreement didn't require the rival factions
to take decisions together, but rather delegated different responsibilities
to each faction, with Hamas overseeing domestic governance and Fatah
handling negotiations with Israel. That division contributed to the deal's
collapse as both factions appeared to use their areas of control to weaken
the other.

Diana Buttu, a former aide to Mr. Abbas, said she expects a joint
Fatah-Hamas strategy on Israel would mean Hamas gives up violence, while
Fatah abandons its strategy of negotiation. That could lead to the pursuit
of legal action against Israel, civil disobedience and popular protest
campaigns.

"This partnership will either fail very quickly or they will come up with
some strategy that is completely new," said Ms. Buttu.

—Jay Solomon contributed to this article.
Write to Charles Levinson at charles.levinson@wsj.com