Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Who’s wagging whom?



Dr. Reuven Berko


Who’s wagging whom?

The meeting between Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, under the auspices of the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha Monday was, “as usual,” a huge success.

It was agreed that committees would be appointed to decide on things like elections, the mutual release of prisoners and the establishment of a national unity government of independent experts, to be headed by Abbas. Another meeting was scheduled for later this month to begin preparing for elections and to discuss the expansion of the PLO and its legislative body, the Palestinian National Council, as a unified umbrella group.

This was not the first “successful” meeting between representatives of Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas. The most prominent of these so-called successful meetings was the historic reconciliation in 2007 in the holy city of Mecca, right before Hamas began hurling Fatah activists from the rooftops of Gaza buildings, perforating their kneecaps with bullets and arresting the Fatah officials that did not manage to flee, seizing full, unconstrained control over the coastal territory. Fatah did not fail to retaliate.

The talk surrounding this most recent meeting suggests that the sponsorship of Qatar’s emir ensures this agreement is serious. The assumption is that Qatari support includes a financial aspect, aimed at jump-starting the move and that the emir may be able to rally pan-Arab and international support for the inclusion of Hamas in the Palestinian leadership. This would invalidate the Quartet’s long-standing demands of Hamas - that it renounce violence, recognize Israel and honor the PLO’s past agreements with Israel as a precondition to inclusion in any diplomatic process.

Against this backdrop, each side is clearly trying to present itself as the more moderate one, touting the concessions they are willing to make, understanding the danger posed by a continued rivalry. While the Western-backed Abbas declared that the deal was aimed mainly at establishing an elected government and restoring Palestinian unity, Mashaal, with the support of “Hamastan” ruler Ismail Haniyeh, issued a statement that put Hamas’ pure intentions toward Fatah and its West Bank strongholds in doubt.

According to Mashaal, “The reconciliation agreement will allow the Palestinian people to unite and focus on the main issue, which is attacking the occupier and reclaiming the rights of the Palestinian people.”

Hamas cannot supply the goods that Abbas and other masters of illusion are expecting. The ranks are in agreement on the strategy, but the rhetoric is debatable. Senior Hamas government official Mahmoud Zahar is making declarations that he does not believe in reconciliation – only armed struggle. Haniyeh agreed to a long-term “hudna” (calm) only if Israel agrees to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines, to relinquish Jerusalem and to allow Palestinian refugees to return to “Palestine” and Mashaal, the Doha architect, called for “attacking the occupier” and “reclaiming rights” in his summation speech.

As a gesture of sincerity, Haniyeh offered to release some Fatah prisoners. He refused to welcome Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan back into Gaza but agreed to ceremoniously return the key to Abbas’ appropriated apartment on Gaza’s shore. Progress has been made after all.

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=1329

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