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Khaled Masha'al has become the undisputed leader of Hamas following the
Israeli assassination of its Abdul Aziz Rantisi. For the United States,
this could mean that Masha'al will order Hamas attacks on U.S. interests
throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq.
Masha'al, chief of Hamas's political bureau, became the undisputed head
of Hamas after Rantisi was killed in an Israeli missile attack on his
car on April 17. An Israeli AH-64A Apache helicopter fired at least two
missiles toward Rantisi, 57, which killed him and his two bodyguards and
injured his son. It was the second time in less than a month that Israel
had killed a Hamas leader. The first assassination was that of Hamas founder
Ahmed Yassin on March 22. Masha'al plans to avenge the Israeli assassinations
of Yassin and Rantisi.
Israeli and Palestinian sources said Masha'al was expected to make these
attacks a priority, at the expense of maintaining Hamas's social welfare
infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Masha'al has been promised
huge amounts of money and expertise from Iran and its client Hizbullah.
Under Rantisi, Hizbullah was allowed to train Hamas agents and establish
cells in the Gaza Strip. Masha'al was expected to make the United States
a major target as well. Hamas will probably not directly target U.S. interests
in either the West Bank or Gaza Strip. But Hamas has plenty of assets
in other countries and attacks could come under false flags.
One likely area is Iraq. Hamas, with Iran's help, has established a presence
in Iraq. The Hamas presence has been accomplished through the Hizbullah
umbrella in Iraq as well as under the guise of Al Qaida-aligned insurgents
who have poured into Iraq from Syria.
"Hizbullah, the Iran-supported and often directed terrorist organization,
has moved hundreds of its cadres into Iraq," stated a report by the
New York-based Hudson Institute. "They, along with Hamas, have opened
offices in Iraq and are now recruiting Iraqis to be foot soldiers and
suicide killers in massive terrorist attacks on U.S. and coalition forces."
Members of the U.S. counter-terrorism community, including Vice President
Dick Cheney, have supported the Israeli operation. They see the killing
of Yassin and Rantisi as examples of what the United States and its allies
can do against terrorist leaders. It will be a sobering warning to terrorists
from Hizbullah and could inspire democracies to move more aggressively
against terrorist threats.
Israeli officials said Masha'al was planning to stage simultaneous suicide
bombings on several Israeli civilian targets. Nearly a month after Yassin's
assassination, Hamas has been foiled from carrying out any major attack.
"We have alerted all of our combat cells until the 100 revenge attacks,
which will shake the criminal entity [Israel], are completed," Hamas's
Izzedin Kassam said in a statement.
Until now, Masha'al shared the Hamas leadership with Rantisi, who survived
an Israeli attack in June 2003. Masha'al, who himself survived an Israeli
assassination attempt in 1997 in Amman, Jordan, quickly picked a successor
to Rantisi responsible only for the Gaza Strip. Out of apparent concern
of another Israeli attack, Masha'al refused to identify the new Hamas
chief.
Prospective Hamas caretakers were said to include Rantisi's deputy, Mahmoud
A-Zahar, as well as Ismail Haniya and Said Sayam. Hamas sources said the
movement's military chief, Mohammed Deif, would be brought into the political
leadership.
But Palestinian sources said that Masha'al's secret appointee was Sheik
Hassan Yusef. Yusef was regarded as the leader of Hamas in the West Bank
and was arrested last week by Israel. Both A-Zahar and Yusef have been
mulling a Hamas offer of a 10-year ceasefire with Israel in exchange for
a withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Israeli assassinations have placed Hamas' traditional supporters in
a quandary. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have long funneled money to Hamas in
the Gaza Strip. Masha'al is a welcome guest in Qatar but suspect in Saudi
Arabia, and the kingdom could reduce its support to the Palestinian insurgency
group.
For the United States, Rantisi's assassination could fuel the Sunni insurgency
in Iraq, which has already been linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Indeed, the Sunni and Shi'ite insurgents acknowledge that Hamas has influenced
their tactics.
Source: Geostrategy
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