June 24, 2014 | Quote
Peace On Hold As Kidnapping of Israeli Teens Divides Palestinians
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Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Treasury Department, says al-Aruri is a natural suspect. Exiled by Israel after his release following American pressure, al-Aruri first lived in Damascus, Syria, then moved to Turkey, where he operates freely as part of Hamas’s political bureau, responsible for the group’s prisoner release operations.
The unity government with Fatah “can’t have gone well with some members of Hamas,” said Schanzer, now a vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank. The abduction could indicate disagreements within Hamas. Nevertheless, Hamas officials publicly praised the kidnapping, hoping it would force Israel to release its prisoners.
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