The announcement that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which essentially is the parent organization of the Palestinian Authority, had entered into a unity agreement with Hamas might have been the last straw.

As the United States was working feverishly to extend the April 29 deadline for the peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas openly thumbed his nose at the U.S. and slammed the door on the peace process, perhaps for the final time.

By agreeing to end their feud and form a unity government with Hamas, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, Abbas and the Palestinian Authority sent a decisive and disturbing message that they are not interested in peace.

The United States did not pull any punches in delivering a sharp response to the news.

“The timing was troubling and we were certainly disappointed in the announcement,” said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki. “This could seriously complicate our efforts–not just our efforts, but the efforts between the parties, more importantly, to extend the negotiations.”

“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties,” Psaki said. “It’s hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist.”

In response to the PA’s move, Israel announced that it was suspending the peace talks.

“Instead of choosing peace, Abu Mazen formed an alliance with a murderous terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu. “Abu Mazen has formed an alliance with an organization whose covenant calls for Muslims to fight and kill Jews. Whoever chooses the terrorism of Hamas does not want peace.”

Over the years, people have openly debated the merits of the seemingly endless peace process and questioned the feasibility of achieving a lasting and genuine peace agreement. However, the fact is that the present situation, which has continued to deteriorate, is untenable and unsustainable.

Sadly, we have seen the physical and emotional toll that the endless barrage of rockets fired from Gaza has on the State of Israel and the detrimental effect that it has on the thousands of men, women, and children who live under a constant threat of attack. We know how damaging and destructive the Hamas terrorists, who are lurking in the shadows waiting to strike, can be.

Peace is critical to the continued survival of the State of Israel. We pray for peace. We yearn for peace. We need peace. Yet, peace continues to elude us.

Unfortunately, it is a classic Catch-22 situation. Many have questioned the ability of the PA to enter into a peace agreement with Israel when it is not representative of the entire Palestinian Arab world and is at odds with Hamas, which in effect controls Gaza. At the same time, how can Israel enter into an agreement with the PA when it has chosen to make a pact with Hamas, a terrorist organization that has absolutely no interest in co-existing with Israel? Hamas wants to destroy Israel and all that it stands for, or die trying.

By abandoning the negotiating table and turning its back on the peace process, the PA has shown its true colors and validated what its critics have been saying for years, namely, that it cannot and will not make a good faith effort to achieve a peaceful resolution to the longstanding Arab-Israeli conflict.

With his decision to unite with Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas has gone from being the “statesman” that he desperately tried to be, to becoming an opportunistic obstructionist. He threw away diplomacy and chose terrorism instead.

The PA-Hamas marriage leaves Israel no choice but to walk away at this point. Making a deal with the devil that despises you and openly calls for your destruction is not a viable option.

Just several weeks ago, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the same man who just announced the unity agreement with the PA, delivered a fiery and inflammatory speech in Gaza meant to incite hatred and encourage violence.

“Resistance and martyrdom are the way to liberate Palestine and to restore Jerusalem,” Haniyeh said. “I say again and again, we will not, we will not, we will not recognize Israel!”

Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government cannot put the safety and security of the State of Israel in the hands in Hamas–the very hands that have the blood of innocent Israelis on them.

Now that the Palestinian Authority has chosen to broker a deal with one of the primary terrorist offenders in the world, I would certainly hope and expect that the international community will tell them to take a hike the next time they come calling for help and claiming that they are victims.

Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have made their bed. Now they have to lie in it.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler

By N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.