While I believe that the occupation, rather than the reaction to it, is the main cause of our conflict, the unilateral tahdia (“declared calm”) decision by Palestinian militant groups has reduced anti-Israeli attacks mightily, which shows that Palestinians also realize the limits of their military actions. The decision by Hamas to join the political process by participating in the upcoming legislative elections shows that even this hardline Islamic movement has concluded that our conflict needs to be addressed by political rather than military means.