Could Hamas Target the West?
By Matthew Levitt
The Holy Land Foundation case has refocused attention on the presence and activities of Hamas in the United States. That activity has focused on raising funds and engaging in propaganda activities, but are there any conditions under which Hamas could target Western interests? To be sure, Americans and citizens of many other countries have died in Hamas's indiscriminate suicide bombings. But what calculus might lead Hamas as a group, semi-independent Hamas cells, rogue Hamas cells, or Hamas operatives acting as "lone wolves" to actively target Western interests?
For a full examination of this issue see my article in the latest volume of Studies in Coflict & Terrorism, based on a chapter on the same issue in my book Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad (Yale, 2006)