As Israel’s tanks and troops poured into Gaza on Saturday, the next phase in its fierce attempt to end rocket attacks, a question hung over the operation: can the rockets really be stopped for any length of time while Hamas remains in power in Gaza? And if the answer is determined to be no, then is the real aim of the operation to remove Hamas, no matter the cost?

On Thursday Foreign Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni said, “There is no doubt that as long as Hamas controls Gaza, it is a problem for Israel, a problem for the Palestinians and a problem for the entire region.”

Vice Premier Haim Ramon went even further on Friday saying Israel must not end this operation with Hamas in charge of Gaza. “What I think we need to do is to reach a situation in which we do not allow Hamas to govern,” Ramon said on Channel One.

Neither PM Ehud Olmert nor Defense Minister Ehud Barak has made such a statement. Still, there is a growing concern among Israeli leaders that any letup against Hamas would be problematic for Israel’s goals in long term because it could bolster and validate the group, which says Israel should be destroyed.

“If the war ends in a draw, as expected, and Israel refrains from re-occupying Gaza, Hamas will gain diplomatic recognition,” wrote Aluf Benn, a political analyst, in Haaretz on Friday. “No matter what you call it,” he added, “Hamas will obtain legitimacy.”

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