Sunni Hamas and Shiite Hezbollah have apparently agreed to disagree on Syria while maintaining a strategic partnership against Israel.
Hamas and Hezbollah Agree to Disagree on Syria
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Hamas
Egypt: The Deck Reshuffled (Pt. 2)
Read Part 1. While media in the United States has focused on the Egyptian uprising that triggered a military-led coup in which the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) led government was dissolved, hardly any media reports here have considered the regional implications of the...
The Depths of Malaise in Palestine
According to recent polls of Palestinians, frustration with the Israel-Palestinian conflict is at a high point; the two-state solution is steadily losing credibility in the eyes of the people; and ordinary citizens in the Holy Land are starting to wonder whether a settlement can be achieved without another round of bloodshed.
Hamas Helped, Israel Handicapped by Threats to Their Respective Publics
Fundamental differences exists between Hamas in Gaza in 2012 compared to 2008.
Abetting the Carnage in Gaza
The November 22 cease fire between Israeli and Hamas forces is a huge relief for the civilian population on both sides—the primary victims of the conflict. But the Obama administration’s unconscionable decision the previous week to block a ceasefire effort by the UN Security Council not only resulted in additional civilian deaths but also serves as an indication that, despite the president owing his re-election to the hard work of his progressive base, his foreign policy will continue to lean to the right.
Hamas in the New Middle East
As Hamas’ break with its longtime patron Bashar al-Assad illustrates, the Palestinian Islamist group is adapting to the new Middle East. Even with new bombs pounding Gaza, the group is bound to be recognized as a legitimate international player in due course–and the Israelis would do well to take a lesson.
Khaled Meshal and Hamas Go Their Separate Ways
In order to respond to overwhelming Israeli power, Palestinians need political managers skilled in statecraft, not charismatic leaders who inevitably become corrupt autocrats.
Hamas Pulls Rug Out From Under IDF Chief of Staff
Hamas, which has committed to the Oslo agreements, is being accepted by the international community.
The Prisoner Swap
Like so many other diplomatic and political initiatives in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the recent announcement of a new prisoner release is based on the same solution that has been proposed dozens of times before – only to collapse because the time, and usually Israeli political will, wasn’t right. In this case, the separate announcements made by Hamas leader Khaled Meshal and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, asserted that Hamas would release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas in 2006, while Israel would release 1023 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom had been in jail for decades.
100 Members of Hamas Arrested Just Before UN Vote for Palestinian Statehood
Hamas arrests by Israeli security forces would seem to indicate a severe setback for Hamas’s influence in the Occupied Territories.