Occupying the Middle Ground

According to the LA Times, Hamas is walking an “ideological tightrope” between pragmatists and radicals:

The wider challenge for Hamas is whether it can, or even wishes to, rein in independent Islamist groups seeking to impose Sharia law that would limit other religions and force women to wear hijabs or head scarves. These organizations have made Hamas, which has overwhelming support here and is viewed by the West as a dangerous political movement, appear less threatening in the spectrum of Islamic voices.

This is exactly the kind of position in which Yasser Arafat expertly portrayed himself. But not Mahmoud Abbas.