Hamas May Widen Its Horizons, Observers Say

[On the Road]

JERUSALEM — Israel's assassination of Hamas chieftain Abdulaziz Rantisi could tilt the group's balance of power toward more radical elements outside the Palestinian territories, with potentially serious regional repercussions, according to Israeli intelligence officials and analysts who study militant Palestinian factions.

The killing of Rantisi damaged Hamas' operational capabilities, but the motivation of its fighters — organized into tightly disciplined cells that are often unaware of one another's existence — is probably unchanged or even enhanced, longtime observers of the group say.

The power vacuum left by the killings of the trio of senior Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) — Rantisi, spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin and strategist Ismail abu Shanab, who was slain last year — places more control in the hands of the group's leaders in exile in Syria, who in turn have links to Iran and the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, according to Israeli authorities and sources within the Hamas movement.

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Rantisi's removal from the scene, however, could eventually lead to a split between older strategists like himself and young field operatives determined to carry on the fight against Israel at any cost. Many of Rantisi's generation had an interest in transforming Hamas from a guerrilla army into an influential political movement that would help rule Gaza after the Israelis left. But fiery young members of its military wing have little such leaning.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=6&u=/latimests/20040419/ts_latimes/hamasmaywidenitshorizonsobserverssay

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. File this under the "well duh!" category

You can't keep assassinating their leaders and not expect them to be pissed.

[Name removed]

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[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. I absolutely agree

But antagonizing the situation through equally illegal actions isn't exactly solving anything. Israel purports itself to be a civilized nation. It should start acting like one.