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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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Would Hamas Target Americans?
December 20, 2001
Summary
Former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani has warned that Palestinian suicide bombers might attack American targets. Such an operation is within the reach of extremist groups such as Hamas and would likely end any prospect for a negotiated peace settlement in Israel.
Analysis
Speaking to crowds rallying on Jerusalem Day, a Dec. 14 event marking the importance of Jerusalem to Islam, former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani warned that Palestinian suicide bombers might target U.S. assets. Rafsanjani warned "of a day when exhausted Palestinians, embracing martyrdom, decide to hit [American] vital interests all over the world," Agence France-Presse reported.
Rafsanjani's statement was unspecific, but it is noteworthy, given Iran's close links with radical Palestinian groups such as Hamas. Palestinian groups have rarely targeted American facilities or personnel despite U.S. ties with Israel. Instead Palestinians have attempted to curry U.S. favor in hopes that Washington would pressure the Israeli government into a peace deal. But the political landscape has changed dramatically since Sept. 11, and radical groups may in fact have much to gain by attacking U.S. assets.
Strikes on U.S. targets would obliterate Washington's support for Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who Hamas sees as an obstacle to its ambitions for a Palestinian state based on Islamic law. And a tough U.S.-Israeli response would likely sink any chances for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
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(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Would Hamas Target Americans . . . ?