The photo op of Hamas leaders with a free and smiling Briton--BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, released after 114 days of Gaza captivity--is, among other things, a huge publicity coup for Hamas and its leader, Ismail Haniyeh. It allows the embattled Haniyeh to show he can deliver positive results in his new role as the top authority in the Gaza Strip and to say, with some legitimacy, that he can bring stability back to Gaza's lawless streets.
Johnston's release was won through strong-arm tactics. A senior Hamas militant told TIME that Johnston's kidnappers, the Army of Islam, were made an offer they couldn't...
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