Why did Hamas attack when they did?

UK Attorney Alexander Mercouris believes it comes down to the current Mideast perception that the US is weak and growing weaker. "The United States," says Mercouris, "is perceived to have suffered a defeat in Iraq, and an even more serious defeat in Syria. It has seen its position increasingly marginalized, there's been a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and beyond that there is a general sense that American power, globally, is weakening as well.

"[The tide] is beginning to turn, finally, back in Hamas' favor. And that is why Hamas believes this is the moment, therefore, when they should act.