A thorn in the Palestinian Authority's side

The introduction of the new Palestinian unity government on Monday, with a substantial Hamas presence in its ranks, mandated a clear statement by Israel. A strong statement had to be made, because any hesitation or stutter would have been perceived as Israel's impending acceptance of a Palestinian leadership that is sporting clear elements of terrorism.

The cabinet's statement, saying that with the formation of a Palestinian unity government in Ramallah, Israel will hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for any provocation or act of terror, is understandable.

This understanding, however, is not without its problems. It stands to reason that underneath the unity facade, Fatah and Hamas will continue to be bitter rivals, competing for hegemony in the Palestinian leadership, and that each time tensions between them peak, the regime in the Gaza Strip will send a rocket salvo Israel's way, leaving Israel to debate whether to take action against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces may not always seek to direct their response at the Palestinian population living under Hamas rule in Gaza. There is also the increased risk of Hamas trying to bolster its presence in Judea and Samaria, where it is likely to try to form the infrastructure needed to launch terror attacks against Israel or the settlements.

These new circumstances mean Israel must use fine pincers to gently remove the Hamas thorn from the PA's side. Likud MK Danny Danon's expressed desire to "hurt" the Palestinians does little to that end, and neither does Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett's statement that this is a government of bandits.

Now that Israel has issued its official statement on the matter, silence must prevail, to allow for a quiet operation of diplomatic inquiries to take place. It is important to wait for the European Union's reaction, and to press the EU to adhere to its commitment to spurn any element which does not recognize Israel's right to exist.

It is also important to maintain an amicable dialogue with the United States, given that Washington has already said that it will explore ways to work with the new Palestinian government, and press for Congress to look into whether any future discussion U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry might hold with the PA would be in violation of U.S. laws. There is plenty to talk about and plenty to explore, preferably calmly.

The most important clandestine inquiry lies, perhaps, southwest of Israel. What impact will the Palestinian unity government have on the rising tensions between Egypt and Hamas? Will Cairo's ire stretch beyond Gaza and affect Ramallah, or will it ebb, given the possibility that the unity deal will somehow see Fatah tame Hamas?

While these are all crucial issues that remain to be seen prior to Israel's decision on its next step, there is one thing Israel will surely not do, despite the ongoing chatter suggesting otherwise. The current Israeli government's term will not see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu order the annexation of so much as one inch of Judea and Samaria.

What Bennett and Communications Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) are doing -- even if it momentarily seems that Netanyahu might go along with it -- is talking. That is all it is, talk, and that is all it should be.

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