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World News and Trends: Can Gaza stay quiet?

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Can Gaza stay quiet?

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Arab militants in the Gaza Strip, located on Israel's southwestern border, have again been striking at the Jewish state, spurring Israeli retaliation.

This poses a threat to the position of Gaza's Hamas rulers, so they indicated on April 2 that "they were trying to keep attacks on Israel in check, in an apparent attempt to keep a recent spate of violence from spiraling into open conflict" (Rizek Abdel Jawad, "Hamas Tries to Keep Attacks on Israel in Check," Associated Press, April 2, 2010).

Both Israel and the Hamas governments would benefit by maintaining the peace. Israel's southern communities would benefit since they live so close to the border where terrorists have lobbed their rockets. The Hamas government would benefit since 80 percent of the population relies on United Nations food handouts to survive.

Israel holds Hamas accountable for maintaining peace in the Gaza Strip. Yet will they really be able to keep cool many hot-headed extremists who ache for an all-out war with Israel—especially when they are extremists themselves? (Source: Associated Press.)