The Palestine civilians have been hit the hardest and are suffering greatly, an unacceptable situation. Of course, Hamas is using this humanitarian crisis to portray Gaza as a victim of Israel's aggression. Furthermore, other sources claim that this blockade can be seen as Israel's punishment for the entire population in Gaza since that population voted Hamas into office in 2006.

In a recent interview just before the State of the Union address President Bush made a somewhat condescending remark directed toward the Palestinians in Gaza: "Look what Hamas has brought you. They've delivered your misery." Comments like these cannot contribute to the peace process President Bush had initiated last year in Annapolis; in fact, they only create resentment among the Palestine people.

President Bush is trying hard to save a legacy in his approach to foreign policy. One point he strongly tries to pursue is a realistic solution for this Israel-Palestine conflict before his term runs out at the end of the year. The goal of the Annapolis peace conference was to create a basis for a two-state solution Israel and Palestine, a Palestinian state under Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah government.

However, Hamas' idea is to reclaim the old Palestine, not a two-state solution, and that, of course, Israel can not accept.

But as Israel and the United States might fear this blockade may have brought the chance of some kind of co-operation between Hamas and the West Bank Fatah regime since both factions are anxious to end the blockade.

Shortages in Gaza have become intolerable and hundreds of thousands Palestinians from Gaza recently broke the border to Egypt. Members of Hamas had blown up parts of the border fortification. For 12 brief days, Palestinians could freely cross into Egypt to stock up on goods. Now Egypt has sealed the crossings again restoring the blockade.

The fragile situation on the Egypt-Gaza border shows that Bush's and Israel's current plan for that region is not valid anymore. Hamas has dragged Egypt into the conflict, a brilliant move in order to gain recognition, but this move has created a very complex situation. It is clear that the government in Gaza can not be ignored. To deal with Fatah's Abbas as the only legitimate representative of Palestine has become questionable. It seems now certain that the power struggle between these two rival Palestinian groups must end before any talks on the Israel-Palestine peace process can again begin.