The unexpected results of Hamas' plans

The decision to extend the cease-fire by one more day indicates that both Israel and Hamas, and especially Egypt, are serious in their efforts to come to an understanding that would allow everyone to officially declare the fighting in the Gaza Strip over.

These efforts have prompted the Israeli delegation to the Cairo talks to remain in Egypt overnight for what has been described as hectic negotiations. The talks, it seems, have a slim chance of yielding a detailed agreement, a good chance of yielding an outline for an agreement, and an even better chance of resulting in a bilateral cease-fire statement for an unspecified period, during which both sides would discuss the details of the outlined deal.

The latter would allow Israel to continue pursuing the issue of the full demilitarization of Gaza, and Hamas to push for the issue of the crossings and the seaport.

The Israel Defense Forces, for its part, is also ready for a fourth option -- that of the negotiations deadlocking again, which would spell a resumption of the fighting in Gaza. The chances of that happening, however, are believed to be slim.

The Palestinian Authority is expected to play a key role in the future agreement, and Egypt is trying to set a honey trap for Hamas, saying it could get most of what it wants -- but only if it agrees to have Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas be a part of it.

The Rafah crossing could open, but only if the PA's security forces run it, and Hamas could get the money to pay its employees' wages, but only if the funds go through the PA's institutions. The same goes for Gaza's rehabilitation, which Cairo says will happen under the PA's supervision.

In doing this, Egypt is sending a clear message to Hamas that Abbas is its real partner. After all, Cairo has made no secret of the fact that in the long run, it would like to see the Palestinian Authority regain control of the Strip.

Hamas has no intention of letting that happen, of course, but right now, Abbas is its lifeline -- that much is clear to Ismail Haniyeh and Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades' commander Mohammed Deif in Gaza, as well as to Hamas political office leader Khaled Mashaal in Qatar.

Israel views these developments as positive. Hamas may be able to mark some achievements, but it is the Palestinian Authority that has most to gain. Abbas may have entered into a unity government with Hamas, but at least now the PA knows who its partners really are and what they have in mind for its future.

The timing in which the Shin Bet chose to reveal that it had uncovered a Hamas plot to topple the Palestinian Authority's rule across the West Bank should be viewed through this prism as well.

There is nothing new about Hamas' desire and intent as such, but the systematic moves it had planned, which included detailed political, diplomatic, military and economic outlines, proved once again that Hamas is an organization that plans well into the future.

Coalition members who rushed to use this discovery to once again criticize the Palestinian government would do well to listen to the reports saying that the talks in Egypt, and more importantly moves made behind the scenes in Cairo, clearly indicate that Israel sees Abbas as the solution, not as the problem.