GEOPOLITICS AND WAR
Why Did Hamas Attack Now?
Clearly, it's not to the advantage of the Palestinians
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. — Salvor Hardin (Isaac Asimov, Foundation)
HAMAS began as an Islamic charity supported by the State of Israel. No, really. The story of how a charity could turn into a military force dedicated to the death of Jews around the world is an example of the complexity of Mideast politics and the tragedy of the politics of identity.
Hamas has a membership of between 20,000 and 25,000, according to the U.S. government, a small fraction of the population of Gaza (over two million) or the population of Palestinians in the West Bank’s Israeli-occupied territories (three million more). The group has both sociopolitical and military functions and survives on foreign aid. Crucial support and weapons have come from Iran. This does not mean Hamas is a proxy for Iran. At present, there are no reports of evidence that Iranian officials were aware of the attacks Hamas was planning to carry out this month. In fact, given the tight operational security practiced by Hamas prior to the attack, it is quite possible Iran had no idea of the date of the attack, its extent, or the identities of the targets.
