Summer School at FPRI

Al Qaeda´s Palestinian Dilemma

Barak Mendelsohn

July 28, 2009 / Philadelphia

Barak Mendelsohn is author of Combating Jihadism: American Hegemony and International Cooperation in the War on Terrorism (University of Chicago Press, 2009). He teaches courses at Haverford on Jihadi movement and on the Middle East. He served in the Israeli army for five years and received his Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University.

While its ability to operate in the heart of the Middle East is in decline, al Qaeda has issued increasing numbers of statements dedicated to the Palestinian arena. The increased attention is not coincidental. In distress, al Qaeda is seeking to use the Palestinian question to improve its image by presenting itself as the Palestinians' true defender. However, Hamas's control over the Gaza Strip presents a serious dilemma for al Qaeda. It is finding that there is no easy way to back its promises with action and that confronting Hamas may actually have undesirable consequences.

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