[Los Angeles Times]
Jeffrey Fleishman –

Hamas says it disavows Islamic radicalism but faces tension within its religious hard-liners and pragmatists who want to convince the West that it is not a political mask for jihad. The wider challenge for Hamas

is whether it can, or even wishes to, rein in independent Islamist groups seeking to impose Sharia law. On Tuesday Mahmoud Abbas said, “Thanks to the support of Hamas, al-Qaeda is entering Gaza.”

Original post by Aaron Freeman