July 28, 2014 | Quote

Israel Still Swears Hamas Kidnapped Those Teens

At issue is whether or not the two Hamas suspects were acting on orders from the group’s Gaza leadership. To date no Israeli officials have asserted that.
 
“Hamas is fractured and it is even more so in the West Bank where they have been given no quarter by the Palestinian security forces,” said Jonathan Schanzer, the vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “So they have been operating underground in cells that may not even communicate with one another. The idea that you might have an independent cell carry out an attack without communicating with the Gaza leadership is within the realm of the possibility.”
 
The Daily Beast reported earlier this month that Israelis remain interested in the role of Saleh al-Arouri, a Hamas operative based in Turkey and who is seen as a key financier and logistics coordinator for the group's activities in the West Bank.
 
“Al-Arouri is the founder of the Qassam brigades in the West Bank,” Schanzer said. “He is based in Turkey and is believed to be a focal point for logistics, finance and operations in the West Bank. He has been a primary suspect in the kidnapping of these teens.”
 
 
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Israel Palestinian Politics