It is interesting to note that, until recently, Israel, focusing its enmity on the more popular PLO and viewing Hamas as a potential challenger to the PLO's power, has treated Hamas with leniency and has facilitated the group's rise.

The PLO in 1988 recognized Israel, abandoned armed struggle in the fight for Palestinian self-determination, and adopted a political approach. Its members have participated in peace talks with Israel. Hamas, on the other hand, draws those Palestinians who are fundamentalist Muslims, as well as those who oppose the negotiations. Only as Hamas became a force popular and strong enough to challenge the Israeli occupation did Israel change its policy of leniency towards the groups.

At a time when Israel and the Palestinians are attempting to negotiate peace, Israel's harsh action has put the PLO and mainstream Palestinians in a difficult position. The action has frustrated and angered a people already grown restless by the lack of progress made during the peace talks and by the steady worsening of the situation in the Occupied Territories.

The PLO sympathized with the deportees and urged their return. To promote unity, PLO leaders met with Hamas leader for the first time to plan strategy regarding the deportations. In addition, the PLO has urged other Arab governments to suspend negotiations with Israel until the deportees are returned. It is unclear whether the Palestinians will attend the upcoming round of peace talks, scheduled for February in Washington.

Israel's harsh action, combined with the image of Hamas as the only group still actively struggling for Palestinian rights and frustration with the fruitless peace talks, has further contributed to Hamas' popularity. Time estimates that approximately 45 percent of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories support Hamas, but only 30 percent do so for ideological reasons. The remaining 15 percent see Hamas as an alternative to the PLO, whose peace negotiations have brought no positive results.

If Israel is truly committed to peace with the Palestinians, it must first return the deportees. Otherwise, it would be ridiculous for the negotiations to continue, as they are organized around the framework of U.N. resolutions. Israel's violation of U.N. resolutions and Geneva Convention articles regarding the deportees suggests similar attitudes towards other U.N. resolutions and robs the negotiations of any legitimacy.

In addition, in order to move the peace process along and reinstill hope in Palestinians for a peaceful solution, Israel must make concrete moves to stop its human rights abuses and violations of international law.

Insiders say the infuriating deportations have induced even some mainstream PLO leaders to consider a return to armed struggle. They and the 15 percent of Palestinians who are recent converts to Hamas' philosophy must be convinced that peaceful negotiation is worthwhile.

Haneen M. Rabie '95 is a Palestinian-American and the president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Society of Arab Students.