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Hamas Plans Show of Strength
(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Hamas is planning a series of rallies in the West Bank and Gaza over the next few days under the banner, "The Week of the Martyrs," to mark the first anniversary of the killing of its leaders, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Hamas leaders said Monday that the events will include paramilitary parades and public rallies, in a show of strength ahead of forthcoming municipal and legislative elections. Hani al-Masri, a political analyst from Ramallah, says Hamas's new approach is the result of changes on the Palestinian street, where support for the armed struggle and suicide bombings appears to be dwindling. The international community's decision to include Hamas in the list of terror organizations and the drying up of its resources and funds had also contributed to the movement's decision to endorse a more pragmatic line, he explained. "Most of Hamas's friends in the Arab world are now on the defensive," Masri notes, referring to Syria and Iran. "All these factors prompted Hamas to move toward controlling the damage and hiding from the storm until it withers away."