Hamas cannot be eliminated “as an idea”, a senior Israeli official has said, adding that this requires Israel to offer Palestinians an alternative solution in Gaza. Speaking to attendees at the Herzliya Security Conference near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, said Israel needs to present Palestinians with “an alternative idea and not just destroy its [Hamas’] military capabilities.” He suggested that this could be a “local leadership that is ready to live alongside Israel and not dedicate its existence to trying to kill Israelis,” Hanegbi sa…