Hamas 'plans to create a second Iran'

The Scotsman:

HAMAS, the radical Islamic movement that won last month's Palestinian parliamentary elections, intends to set up a "second Iran" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that will pose a threat to the entire western world, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's former prime minister, claimed yesterday. READ MORE

The leader of the right-wing Likud party, who is trailing badly in the polls in advance of next month's Israeli election, is trying to turn Hamas's victory into the No 1 issue in the campaign. His posters show a picture of him with the slogan: "Likud, strong against Hamas."

Mr Netanyahu's remarks came on the second day of a visit to Iran by Hamas's leader, Khaled Mashaal, who elicited Iranian promises of financial support for the Palestinian Authority.