Hamas rift shows vulnerability of interim unity government

Associated Press

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RAMALLAH // A rare public rift broke open yesterday in the usually tightly disciplined Islamic movement Hamas over a reconciliation deal that would require it to relinquish key areas of control in the Gaza Strip.

The deal, brokered by Qatar, was signed last week in Doha by Hamas's top leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, and the chief of the rival Fatah party, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. The agreement is to end nearly five years of separate governments - Hamas in Gaza and Mr Abbas in the West Bank - by establishing an interim unity government headed by Mr Abbas that would prepare for Palestinian elections.

Senior Hamas figures in Gaza, who stand to lose most from the deal, said it was unacceptable, while top Hamas loyalists in the West Bank defended the agreement. The argument raised new questions about the ability of Mr Abbas and Mr Mashaal to implement the deal, seen as their best chance yet of healing the rift following Hamas's violent takeover of Gaza in 2007.

Mr Mashaal might be able to put down the unprecedented rebellion against him, but would need the goodwill and cooperation of Hamas leaders in Gaza to make the agreement work.

Mahmoud Zahar, one of the masterminds of the Gaza takeover in 2007, said Mr Mashaal did not consult with others before signing the deal. Giving Mr Abbas the post of interim prime minister is "wrong" and "strategically unacceptable", Mr Zahar was quoted as telling the Egyptian news agency Mena on Saturday.

The criticism of the Hamas leaders in Gaza highlights the vulnerability of the Doha agreement.

Mr Abbas needs to satisfy international demands that the interim government - to consist of politically independent technocrats - is not a front for Hamas. If it is seen as too close to Hamas, the Palestinians would likely lose hundreds of millions of dollars in western aid.

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Hamas leader stepping down is 'pure speculation'

Hugh Naylor (Foreign Correspondent)

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GAZA CITY // Khaled Meshaal has no plans to step down as the head of Hamas, a spokesman for the Islamist group said yesterday, denying reports the Damascus-based leader would resign.

Fawzi Barhoum described as "pure speculation" a flurry of news articles in the Arabic media yesterday saying Mr Meshaal, 55, would relinquish his position soon.

"For anything like this to be true, there would have to be a formal announcement by either the movement or Mr Meshaal himself," said Mr Barhoum, a spokesman in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controls.

Reports that Mr Meshaal's had planned to resign plans were fuelled by an essay posted Monday on Facebook by Mustafa Lidawi, a Palestinian analyst based in Lebanon who maintains close links with Hamas. He wrote that the Hamas leader would leave his position and run in the forthcoming Palestinian National Council (PNC) election.

The PNC is the legislative arm of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which officially represents all Palestinians living inside the Israeli-occupied territories and abroad.

Mr Lidawi, who served as a Hamas official in Damascus in the 1990s, said the decision was to give the next generation of Hamas members a chance to assume leadership positions.

He called Mr Meshaal a brave leader for agreeing to leave power while still alive, contrasting him with traditional Arab rulers who retained their positions until they are forced out or die.

Under the May reconciliation accord struck between Hamas and its West Bank rival, Fatah, the Islamist group is supposed to join the PLO and participate in the national elections expected planned for this May.

Officials involved in the reconciliation process hope these elections will cover the PNC, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), which is the legislature of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and the PA presidency.

Mr Meshaal has led Hamas since 2004 and has been an instrumental force behind Hamas' reconciliation accord with Fatah.

hnaylor@thenational.ae

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