WASHINGTON — The violent takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas further dimmed the Bush administration's faint hope of moving Palestinians and Israelis toward peace. But it offered the White House a thin opportunity to pursue one long-held goal: drawing a stark contrast between the Palestinian militant group and the moderate leadership of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Friday, U.S. officials made it clear that they intended to seize that opportunity as calm began returning to Gaza after days of fighting. Administration officials plan to build up Abbas' Fatah government in the West Bank territory it still controls, improving its services, while leaving primary responsibility for impoverished Gaza in the hands of Hamas...

Administration officials are considering ways to build up the institutions of Abbas' government, help ensure its security and bolster support from the Palestinian public. And the Americans hinted that Abbas' rump government could, before long, resume preliminary peace talks with the Israelis...

If Abbas accepts support from the West while Gaza withers, he may appear even more a puppet of Washington and Jerusalem, as Hamas has long contended, said Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator who is now a fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington.

"I don't think there's any Palestinian leader who could maintain traction with his public in those circumstances," Levy said...

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