Reporters on the Job

• The New Face of Hamas: Correspondent Josh Mitnick had interviewed Sheikh Hassan Youssef, the leader of Hamas in the Palestinian West Bank, before. Prior to Sunday's interview (page 7), for example, Josh spoke to him a few months ago, shortly after he was released from an Israeli jail.

But those meetings, like many with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, were held in the sheikh's home. This time, Josh was surprised to be directed to an upscale shopping mall in Ramallah.

"Sheikh Youssef has an office now over a cosmetics store and a ladies footwear store. I was shocked. It's one indication of how Hamas [considered a terrorist organization by Israel] is putting a new face on itself as it becomes a legitimate political force among Palestinians," says Josh.

David Clark Scott
World editor