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Jonathan Kuttab

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The existence of Hamas is used by Israel to justify the siege of Gaza and also the paralysis of peace talks. Hamas has become a convenient excuse for indefinite occupation. It may well be time to broach the taboo subject of talking to Hamas and seek a way of bringing them into the peace conversation. Certainly, there can be no peace without Hamas and its followers participating in some way or another.

A Palestinian man stands on his property overlooking the Israeli settlement Har Homa, West Bank, February 18, 2011. (Photo: UPI/Debbie Hill)

Annexation will require that Israel update, change, adapt, or reaffirm decrees, laws, and military orders that have governed how the occupying power administers the territory and its inhabitants. Jonathan Kuttab discusses how these changes will impact the legal status of Israeli settlers, and the Palestinians that live in the areas that are annexed.