The United States rightly regards the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Palestinian organization Hamas as a terrorist group, but Hamas is also the de facto government of the Gaza Strip. There it juggles the responsibilities of governing Gaza and the associated need to mollify Israel with its self-image as an Islamic “resistance” movement. Making this difficult act even harder, Hamas faces a terrorism problem of its own. Gaza is home to a range of groups that see Hamas as too accommodating toward Israel and too lenient when it comes to imposing Islamic law at home. Beverley Milton-Edwards, a professor at Queen’s University Belfast and renowned expert on Hamas, assesses these Islamist rivals and the risks for Hamas of being too confrontational or too passive in dealing with them.
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There’s a lot that could be said based off this fact-filled essay.
I’ll limit myself to two points.
First, Prof Milton-Edwards omits an important fact about takfiri jihadists.
Takfiri Islam is a really weird version of Islam.
A takfiri fighter may break ANY Islamic law in order for his battle to be won.
Thus he may shave off his beard.
He may drink alcohol.
He may have homosexual sex.
He may take out a loan with interest payments included.
And so on.
All these things make it harder for his enemy to identify him as a jihadist until it is too late.
Second, her essay makes it crystal why Israel can never make a peace treaty with Hamas or Gaza….
Hamas cannot even govern those within its own borders with regard sending bombs into Israel.
Hamas cannot enforce its own side of any agreement.
Obama and Hillary (now Kerry) are only fooling themselves if they pretend any differently.