Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor
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Engagements with Israel have a contradictory effect of bolstering the credibility of Hamas.
Source: CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper
“Unfortunately we’re still in an escalating phase of this [conflict], but at some point there will be room for mediation,” said Carnegie’s Michele Dunne on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper. She explained that Gazans have not been served well by Hamas governance since 2007 and in public opinion polls, the popularity of Hamas within Gaza itself has fallen sharply.
These engagements with Israel have a contradictory effect of bolstering the credibility of Hamas, Dunne added, and Hamas’s actions have been very desperate. Hamas really doesn’t have much to lose and they hope that by fighting with Israel, they’ll actually become more popular and have more of a role, she concluded.
The interview was originally aired on NPR’s The Lead with Jake Tapper.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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