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Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/hamas-exploits-people-gaza-article-1.3949773
How Hamas Exploits the People of Gaza
(New York Daily News) Dennis Ross - In conflicts with Israel, Hamas seeks to maximize Palestinian civilian casualties in order to generate international opprobrium and make it harder for Israel to engage in its self-defense. Recent mass marches on the border fence with Israel are a case in point. With popular dissatisfaction with Hamas growing, the only thing to be done was divert attention to Israel. As one European diplomat told me, Hamas leaders acknowledge privately that PA President Mahmoud Abbas is the source of their current difficulties, but shifting the focus to Israel is a proven, if cynical, tactic. Both Israel and Egypt control what can go into and out of Gaza. But Hamas leaders have little interest in breaching the Egyptian border, knowing the casualties would be high and the international response minimal. The writer is counselor and fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.