With Hamas and the West locked in a standoff, the Palestinians are hurtling toward an abyss of poverty and chaos, and there seems to be no way to pull back. On the eve of a meeting of top Mideast mediators, the
World Bank warned Monday that a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza is rapidly approaching, and deadly street clashes erupted in Gaza. Still, Hamas refuses to moderate its violent ideology, and the world is not calling off its crippling economic boycott. President Mahmoud Abbas is caught in the middle, trying to keep Hamas in check, but not powerful enough to force the militants out of office or call new elections. Full Story
