Hamas declared yesterday it will not dismantle its military wing as part of any reconciliation agreement between the Iran-backed terrorist organization and its rival, the Palestinian faction Fatah, which controls the West Bank. Unity talks are currently being held in Cairo and, should Hamas hold to the commitment, will complicate efforts to achieve a deal without violating core Palestinian peace process commitments. Hamas’s military forces were at the forefront of the rocket war against Israeli civilians conducted before and during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense at the end of 2012. Hamas’s conditions may be viewed as particularly problematic in light of context provided by the group’s deputy political head Moussa Abu-Marzouq, who told Hamas media outlets that the group wanted to preserve their forces for future “confrontation” with Israel and that “Hamas has not and will never negotiate with” with the Jewish state.