OOPS! What if Hamas didn't really want to stage a coup? Amir Taheri elaborates:

Just days after Hamas staged its coup to achieve exclusive control of Gaza, it's now clear that the military operation launched against the positions of the Palestinian security forces in the strip was never discussed in the Islamist organization's Consultative Assembly (shura).

Well-placed sources close to Hamas tell me that, had the issue been brought up, a majority of shura members most likely would have opposed the coup de force, which has divided the Palestinians as never before. Many believe that even ousted Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, the man who headed the first Hamas-led Cabinet, is "less than enthusiastic" about the operation.

So why did the coup happen, and who is behind it?
The plot thickens in Shakespearean fashion.

Read the whole thing.
(And bring a scorecard.)

Technorati Tag: Hamas and Gaza.