Indeed, Jerusalem appears to be a curious target for Hamas. The city has a large Palestinian/Arab/Muslim population, and all Palestinian factions consider it the potential capital of a Palestinian state. More important, the city hosts Islam's third holiest site, the Masjid al-Aqsa. Considering the projectiles Hamas has used in the current conflict are artillery rockets, which do not have guidance systems, the odds are that Muslims would die in an attack. Otherwise, one Fajr-5 rocket could strike the Masjid al-Aqsa, damaging the site and potentially killing scores of worshippers.Such a scenario would hurt Hamas' reputation. The airstrikes in Gaza have given Hamas widespread sympathy in the Arab/Muslim world. But if Muslims were killed as a result of retaliatory strikes, that support could turn into criticism.Risks and RewardsHamas understands the risks. Yet it proceeded to target Jerusalem and could strike again, depending on the availability of the long-range rockets and opportunity to strike. The question is, why?
Read more: Why Hamas Targeted Jerusalem | Stratfor
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