BEIJING, April 14 -- The new Palestinian government, no more than two weeks in power, has been bitterly struck and squeezed by Israel and the United States. People concerned with the Middle East situation are watching closely whether Hamas can withstand the severe test.

    Israel and Hamas have always been sworn enemies. Hamas clings to resistance of occupation by force and refuses to recognize Israel, while Israel regards Hamas as a thorn in his flesh and labels it as a "terror organization".

    When Hamas won legislative elections in last January, Israel announced "no negotiation" with it unless Hamas can renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. When Hamas began to form the cabinet, Israel took all possible means to suffocate it by closing cargo stations in Gaza which led to surging prices and exhausted grain reserves in this area, and by halting the monthly transfer of $50 million tax revenues which left Palestine struggling desperately to make ends meet. After the Palestinian government was born, Israel called it "hostile authorities" and refused to have any contact with it.

    Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert once expressed the will of continuing peace talks with PNA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, but since the latter approved cabinet formation by Hamas alone, Israel kicked him out saying Abbas had lost "real power". The act, analysts say, is intended to leave Palestine no room for maneuver, choke the Hamas government to death as quick as possible and to make way for "unilateral" withdraw from the West Bank and one-sided drawing of permanent borderline with Palestine.

    Militarily, Israel has obviously intensified bombings and "targeted liquidation" against Palestine in recent days. On Apr. 6, Israeli internal security workers arrested a Palestinian minister who is in charge of Jerusalem affairs and also a Hamas member. From Apr. 7 to 8, Israeli army launched three air strikes against Gaza which killed 14 Palestinians, including a five year old. Palestine reacted strongly by calling the operations a "massacre".

    The United States also came to Israel's help, together with EU, by pressuring Hamas into change. On April 7, both the US and EU announced a halt of direct aid to the new government, dealing a fresh blow to the already battered Palestinian economy. Now the country is simply unable to pay its PNA workers and security troops, with a shortage of fund running as high as 150 million dollars.

    The escalating economic blockade and military strikes and pressure from the US and EU might produce several possible results: first, Hamas yields to the pressure and accepts the three conditions raised by Israel and four related sides; second, Palestine collapses under financial burdens; Hamas cabinet is dismissed and re-election held; third, Hamas holds on and the two sides fall again into the vicious circle of "meeting violence with violence".

    Economically, although Hamas cannot get stable and relatively large aids from the US and EU as Fatah does, it will not be "starved to death" by Israel and the US since EU sanctions only touch a small part of its help to Palestine and its humanitarian aids will remain. Some Arabian countries, Islamic foundations and charities will also lend a helping hand.

    By now, there has been no "compromise" in Hamas' political dictionary as the organization calls the Israeli decision to cut contacts with the Palestinian government a "declaration of war" and its air strikes in Gaza a "collective punishment" on Palestinian people, saying Palestine will never yield to such provocations.

    Under such a "tit-for-tat" situation the prospect of resuming Israel-Palestine peace talks naturally looks bleaker.

    (Source: People's Daily Online)