I reblog this smart insightful piece by Michael Koplow on Hamas’ strategy at this stage of the conflict. .
Enjoy…
While tensions in Jerusalem, particularly on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, have been elevated over the past couple of weeks, this year’s Ramadan has been relatively quiet as compared to last year’s Ramadan. While last May featured clashes in the Old City, outside of Damascus Gate, and in Sheikh Jarrah, the most notable element was Hamas’ launching of rocket barrages from Gaza, culminating in Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls. While there were isolated rockets fired out of Gaza on five separate days last week, resulting in some limited Israeli counterstrikes and a two-day suspension of entry permits for Palestinians coming into Israel from Gaza, this week has been quiet, and the prevailing assessment is that last week’s rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad rather than Hamas. The evidence suggests that Hamas is doing what it can to keep Gaza quiet and to avoid risking another conflagration similar to the one…
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