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Hamas parliament members reject the Doha deal ... From Al Manar

Hamas MPs call for scrapping of Fatah deal
AFP
Last updated: February 8, 2012





MPs of the Hamas majority in the Palestinian parliament called on Thursday for the scrapping of a reconciliation accord with Fatah on constitutional grounds.

"After examining the question of Mahmud Abbas taking on the premiership as well as the presidency" and consultation with judicial experts, such a scenario was found to be contrary to the Basic Law, 31 MPs said in a statement.

It said after a meeting in parliament in Gaza City that the Basic Law calls for separation of the two posts, in contrast to Fatah which denies any violation of the law.

"On this basis, we call for all the signatory parties and the sponsor of the Palestinian reconciliation to reconsider and to respect the Basic Law," said the MPs of the Muslim movement which holds 74 seats in the 132-member parliament

Palestinian president Abbas, who also heads Fatah, and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal signed an accord in Doha on Monday placing Abbas at the head of an interim consensus government to supervise the run-up to elections.

The deal was hailed as a compromise after a bitter dispute over who would head the temporary government that had stalled a reconciliation deal signed by all Palestinian factions in April and May 2011.

© AFP 2012


http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/hamas-mps-call-for-scrapping-of-fatah-deal_4692

Hamas is 'backing protesters' says Syria

Phil Sands
Oct 2, 2011

Damascus // Syria's relationship with Hamas is increasingly strained over the Palestinian group's refusal to openly endorse Damascus and its tactics in suppressing an anti-regime uprising, according to figures close to both sides.

Once firm allies, the Syrian authorities, led by President Bashar Al Assad, and the Islamic resistance movement, headed by Khalid Meshaal from his headquarters in Damascus, are now barely on speaking terms, regime officials and an Islamic cleric close to Hamas said.

An official in Syria's ruling Baath party even furiously accused Hamas of hedging its bets by funding anti-regime organisations, in the expectation Mr Al Assad could be toppled - an indication that the alliance might already be near to breaking point.

"In public Hamas says it is not with either side in the [Syrian] crisis but in reality they have turned their back on Syria and have sided with Syria's opponents," the Baathist said.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

"We have information that Hamas is channelling money to anti-regime groups in Europe. They have decided to bet against the regime," the Baathist said. He gave no further details but described the move as a "serious mistake".

A respected Islamic scholar in Damascus with links to Hamas dismissed that claim but said there had effectively been a freeze in formal contacts with top-level Syrian authorities, despite efforts by Hamas leaders to arrange meetings.

"There is nothing positive between the regime and Hamas at the moment," he said. "The regime wants Hamas to change its attitude and openly support them but people inside Hamas believe they have to be with the Syrian people on this issue."

Alongside Iran, Syria and Lebanon's Hizbollah, Hamas has been a key member of the "axis of resistance" ranged against Israel and its allies, including the United States, which has been at pains to try to break down the four-way alliance.

Damascus has provided important political support to Hamas, and hosting the resistance group's leadership-in-exile has burnished Syria's credentials as a staunch defender of Arab rights in the struggle to win back territories illegally occupied by Israel.

But unlike Iran and Hizbollah, which have very publicly thrown their support behind Mr Al Assad, Hamas has been silent.

In March, shortly after the Syrian uprising began, tensions between the two parties broke into the open after regime officials accused Yousef Al Qaradawi, the Qatar-based Islamic cleric and spiritual head of the Muslim Brotherhood - including Hamas - of inciting sectarian hatred in Syria after he backed demonstrators in a sermon.

Shortly afterwards, Syrian media reported that Hamas had rejected Mr Al Qaradawi's remarks, only for the Hamas leadership in Damascus to publicly say it had done no such thing.

In June, the disagreement turned bloody when more than a dozen Syrian-Palestinians were killed after trying to storm the heavily mined frontier with Israel during a protest, organised by a pro-regime Palestinian faction with at least tacit approval from the Syrian authorities which police the border.

Those deaths provoked an angry backlash inside Syria's 500,000 strong community of Palestinian refugees, dominated politically by Hamas and Fatah, who said the border protest had been designed to distract attention from Syria's internal problems by spilling Palestinian blood.

At least 11 Palestinian Syrians were in killed Damascus' Yarmouk Camp the following day, during a demonstration at the offices of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), the pro Syrian-regime fringe group behind the border incident.

The crowd set fire to the PFLP-GC's offices and cars and, in response, the Palestinian security guards at the compound fired live ammunition at the protesters. Syrian security forces stayed away, Yarmouk residents said.

There have been no subsequent outbreaks of such violence and neither side has openly spoken about the condition of their relationship.

But tensions have been simmering, fuelled by protests in Damascus neighbourhoods with large Palestinian communities, including Qaboun and Qadam. Many Palestinians - although not all - say they sympathise with the anti-regime demonstrators but are obliged to remain neutral.

It is Hamas's Muslim Brotherhood connection that has so troubled Syrian officials, highlighting the tenuous nature of the regime's alliance with the resistance group against Israel while simultaneously suppressing its sister organisation at home.

Membership of the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is a capital offence - membership of Hamas is not - and the organisation's Syria wing has unequivocally sided with anti-regime protesters. Qatar, home to Mr Qaradawi, has led growing Arab criticism of Damascus over its crackdown.

Meetings between Hamas figures and Qatari officials, as well as the conclusion of a rapid Egypt-sponsored reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah, has exacerbated Syrian concerns that they are losing influence over one of their key foreign policy levers.

Following the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in Egypt has also grown.

Turkey, another close ally-turned-opponent of the Syrian regime, has also been courting Syria's Muslim Brotherhood and hosting its exiled leadership, adding to suspicions in Damascus that a hostile Sunni Islamic front is forming against it.

That concern is tinged with sectarian undertones, and a feeling among Syria's ruling Alawite minority that the region's Sunni powers want the regime toppled.

"Radical Islam is on the rise," the Baathist official said. "Turkey, the Gulf, the Muslim Brotherhood are all extremists at heart even if they show a different face to the public. They see a chance to get rid of a secular state [Syria] and they have tricked the United States and Europe into playing a part in that plan.

"Europe and the US are making a strategic mistake. They are trying to hand power to the Islamic movements that will be waging war against them in 10 years from now."

Syria has cast the anti-regime uprising as an armed Islamic insurgency, backed by foreign states. The US, EU, United Nations and other Arab countries have given that claim little credence, characterising the uprising as a largely peaceful call for democracy and civil rights that Mr Al Assad's regime has tried to break using lethal force.

According to the UN, security units have killed more than 2,700 people since March, with tens of thousands arrested. Syrian officials say 1,400 people have died - all at the hands of militant groups.

The cleric with links to Hamas said the Syrian authorities were mishandling their relationship with the group and would face a final rupture if the pressure continued.

"Hamas now has other options that it did not have before," he said. "It can move to Egypt now, it can go to Qatar, it is not so dependent on Syria as it used to be.

"If Syria pushes them to come out in public support [for the suppression of anti-regime protests], Hamas will refuse and, if it comes to that, relocate, it would be the political sensible decision to make."

He said Hamas would "not make the same mistake as Hizbollah", whose popularity as a champion of the downtrodden, certainly among many Syrians, has taken a hit because of its support for Mr Al Assad.

A Syrian official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the relationship with Hamas was in a fragile condition and needed to be handled carefully.

"Hamas has not been supportive enough [of the Syrian regime] and it has made mistakes in its strategy recently that have weakened it," he said. "But we have to be pragmatic.

"We are not looking for any extra enemies at the moment, we need friends, so if some people close to Hamas are silent or even criticise Syria, we should not get into an argument with them now."


http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/hamas-is-backing-protesters-says-syria#full

Hamas split threatens unity deal
Published Wednesday 08/02/2012 (updated) 09/02/2012 19:50



Hamas supporters wave flags during a Gaza protest.(MaanImages/file)


GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas' "change and reform" parliamentary committee on Wednesday urged parties involved in the Doha agreement to review its adherence to Palestinian law.

The parliamentary bloc came out against a key clause in the pact under which Abbas would serve both as president and prime minister of a future government.

The legislative bloc includes Hamas' top Gaza-based leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahhar. They did not attend the ceremony in Qatar where Hamas's political chief in exile, Khalid Mashaal, and Abbas signed the agreement on Monday.

On Wednesday, Fatah official Azzam Ahmad dismissed criticism that the move to bolster unity had no standing in Palestinian law.

"I advise those who reject this to read the laws again; we are a presidential system, not parliamentary."

Analysts have long spoken of a split within Hamas between those in the movement who have controlled the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip for the past five years and Mashaal, who had made his base in Damascus.

"We call upon the parties who signed and those who sponsored Palestinian reconciliation to reconsider and ... not to bypass Palestinian law," the parliamentary bloc said in a statement, arguing that a dual presidential-prime ministerial role for Abbas would be illegal.

The deal was aimed at reuniting the deeply split Palestinian national movement after past accords that followed Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007 failed to get off the ground over disagreements over who would head a new government.

Khalil Shaheen, a West Bank political analyst, said Gaza-based Hamas officials viewed acceptance of Abbas as prime minister as a political embarrassment, especially since Hamas defeated Abbas's Fatah in a Palestinian election in 2006.

He said Hamas could try to resolve its internal dispute by reorganizing power-sharing between its leaders in exile and those in the Palestinian territories.

"Otherwise, and if the dispute continues, it could undermine the implementation of the agreement," Shaheen said.

Fatah lawmaker Abdallah Abdallah defended the Doha agreement saying there was no clause in the Palestinian law preventing Abbas from serving as both president and prime minister.

"It is clear that some people (in Hamas) have personal interests and not nationalist interests and they are trying to find a pretext to undermine such a step that paved the way towards ending the division," Abdallah told Reuters in the West Bank.

The accord is supposed to open the way for presidential and parliamentary election possibly later this year, and to rebuild the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip following a 2008-2009 Israeli offensive.

Reuters contributed to this report


http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458861

Hamas leader denies party split over unity deal
Published Thursday 09/02/2012 (updated) 10/02/2012 10:55



Abbas and Mashaal met Qatar`s leader in Doha.


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Party leader Ahmad Yousef denied Thursday that Hamas was split on a plan to reconcile the occupied territories, saying misunderstandings were due to the sudden nature of the announcement.

"Perhaps the announcement of the Doha meeting was surprising for everyone, including the dialogue committees, as Qatar provided the guarantees for this new government," Yousef said.

But there "won’t be any split in the Hamas movement; there are institutions that don’t allow this to happen, and the difference in opinion is due to the sudden announcement of the meeting,” he told Ma’an.

“The national consensus is above the law, and the dispute about (President Mahmoud) Abbas leading both the unity government and the PA will be resolved after finding a solution through lawyers.

"This issue doesn’t need all this criticism because we are going through a transitional time, through exceptional circumstances, and the most important thing is achieving reconciliation,” Yousef added.

He added that Abbas had initially rejected the new position, but agreed after consulting with the Americans and Europeans as well as Qatar, which sponsored the deal, about guarantees for the agreement.

He also said Khalied Mashaal could be re-elected as leader of Hamas.

Yousef's comments come amid concerns brought by Hamas' "change and reform" parliamentary committee, which urged parties involved in the Doha agreement to review its adherence to Palestinian law.

The parliamentary bloc came out against a key clause in the pact under which Abbas would serve both as president and prime minister of a future government.

The legislative bloc includes Hamas' top Gaza-based leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahhar. They did not attend the ceremony in Qatar where Mashaal and Abbas signed the agreement Monday.

On Wednesday, Fatah official Azzam Ahmad dismissed criticism that the move had no standing in Palestinian law, saying, "I advise those who reject this to read the laws again; we are a presidential system, not parliamentary."

Analysts have long spoken of a split within Hamas between those in the movement who have controlled the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip for the past five years and Mashaal, who had made his base in Damascus.

"We call upon the parties who signed and those who sponsored Palestinian reconciliation to reconsider and ... not to bypass Palestinian law," the parliamentary bloc said in a statement, arguing that a dual presidential-prime ministerial role for Abbas would be illegal.

The deal was aimed at reuniting the deeply split Palestinian national movement after past accords that followed Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007 failed to get off the ground over disagreements over who would head a new government.

The accord is supposed to open the way for presidential and parliamentary election possibly later this year, and to rebuild the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip following a 2008-2009 Israeli offensive.

Reuters contributed to this report.


http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458990

Haniyeh trip Tehran highlights Hamas rift
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND REUTERS 02/12/2012 00:38

Zahar calls Mashaal-Abbas agreement a ‘mistake’; At Tehran rally with Haniyeh, Ahmadinejad says nuclear program advances to be announced soon.

The dispute within Hamas over last week’s Qatar-sponsored reconciliation pact with Fatah reached its peak over the weekend, with the Muslim movement’s leaders in the Gaza Strip coming out against it publicly.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s visit to Tehran over the weekend, and fiery statements he and his hosts made, are also seen as a severe blow to the reconciliation deal.

Haniyeh on Saturday attended a rally marking the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared in a speech at the rally that Iran would soon announce advances in its nuclear program.

“In the coming days the world will witness Iran’s announcement of its very important and very major nuclear achievements,” Reuters quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

Ahmadinejad provided no details of how Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran says has only peaceful purposes, has progressed. Iran has warned of a “painful” answer if it is attacked, saying that it would hit Israeli and American bases in the Gulf, and block the vital Gulf oil shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

“If attacked by the Zionist regime [Israel], we will turn it to dust,” said Muhammad Shirdel, a Revolutionary Guards Corps commander, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.

“Thousands of our missiles will target Israel and the 40 bases of America in the region,” he added.

The nuclear dispute has fueled tension as the West tightens sanctions. The European Union has agreed to ban Iranian oil imports by July and to freeze the assets of Iran’s central bank.

Its measures reinforce those imposed by the US, as the West attempts to force Tehran to return to talks before it produces enough nuclear material for an atomic bomb.

Neither side has shown much appetite for compromise. Iran says it will fight EU sanctions with counter-measures and its parliament plans to pass legislation to ban oil exports to the EU.

Iranian officials brushed off the impact of sanctions, while also proclaiming that Iranians will endure any hardship in support of their country’s right to nuclear technology.

“I am saying openly that if you [the West] continue to use the language of force and threat, our nation will never succumb to your pressure,” Ahmadinejad said.

At another rally in Tehran, Haniyeh declared that Hamas would never recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Haniyeh said that the jihad and resistance were Hamas’s strategic choice “for liberating Jerusalem and al-Aksa.” He also dismissed Israeli and American threats against Iran.

The Hamas prime minister arrived in Tehran on Friday for a three-day visit during which he is scheduled to meet with Iran’s supreme leader and president. His visit to Iran came despite appeals from Qatar and other Gulf countries, which want to see Hamas distance itself from Tehran and Damascus.

Haniyeh’s visit to Iran is also seen as a challenge to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who has moved closer to Qatar and other Gulf countries since he left his headquarters in Syria.

Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip are opposed to Mashaal’s recent deal with Mahmoud Abbas – especially the part that calls for appointing the PA president as prime minister of a unity government.

Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said Saturday that the deal was a “mistake.” He added that the appointment of Abbas as prime minister was completely rejected by Hamas.

Zahar told the Egyptian news agency Asharq Al-Awsat that Mashaal did not consult with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere about the Qatar-brokered deal.


http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=257434

Hamas Armed Wing Opposed to Meshal Shakeup Plan

By: Ibrahim al-Amin

Published Monday, February 13, 2012

Things have changed for Hamas.

The head of its political bureau, Khaled Meshal, has taken to shuttling between Qatar, Egypt, and Sudan, in addition to making occasional visits to Syria, Jordan, and Tunisia. While this was happening, there was a considerable amount of debate within the movement. Such debates have largely been influenced by the evolving Arab political order in light of the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region. Relations with Iran and Syria are also an issue, as are Hamas’ internal affairs.

Insiders have related what happened at the latest meeting of the movement’s Consultative Council, its senior leadership body, which this year was held in Sudan.

Meshal presented his report on the leadership’s work over his preceding term. Meshal normally makes concise and brief presentations. This time, however, he expounded at length about the implications for Hamas in relation to transformations underway in the Arab street. He concluded by reaffirming that resistance is the sole and certain option for liberating the land of Palestine.

Meshal then sprang a surprise. He announced that after 16 years as head of the political bureau, he believed the time had come for all leadership responsibilities to be assumed by other people. He added that he could hardly call for changes in other leadership posts without himself taking the initiative, and asked to be relieved of the task of heading the political bureau.

Those present treated the move as a genuine surprise. Some expressed appreciation of what was described as a “bold step, unprecedented for young leaders of revolutionary movements.” But in their reactions, principled and emotional responses combined with political and organizational considerations. A majority view emerged that existing conditions make it incumbent on Meshal to remain in office, and that now is not the time for the movement to make sweeping leadership changes – whether at the top of the political bureau or other senior levels.

Follow-up meetings were later held by other key Hamas bodies, including jailed prisoners and leaders inside the Occupied Territories. The outcome was that they also told Meshal they wanted him to remain in his post.

Most crucial in this regard was the reported response of the commander-general of the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, Muhammad Daif. He asked the military wing’s representative to the military leadership, Ahmad al-Jaabari, to inform all concerned – from Meshal himself, to rivals such as Mahmoud al-Zahhar and Mousa Abu-Marzouq, to proposed consensus candidate Ismail Haniyeh – that Hamas’ military wing does not think this is the right time to make changes on such a scale, and that it supports keeping Meshal in his job.

The military wing wields significant influence both within Hamas and on the ground. It sought to put an end to a simmering debate within the movement sparked by rumors about impending leadership changes. It had become clear to all, especially the military wing, that senior Hamas leaders were behind most of these rumors, and related leaks to the media. This occurred despite a prior agreement to address such matters in the middle of the year when the movement’s congress is due to be held along with new leadership elections.

On the political front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in Egypt and Tunisia, and its growing influence in Libya, Yemen, and other Arab countries, have fuelled extensive discussions within the Palestinian movement.

While Hamas’ leaders stress that its final position will always hinge on the issue of resistance, its status and thinking are bound to be affected. There is a strong current of opinion within the movement which wants to harness the Muslims’ successes in support of the resistance option.

Others have advised, instead, that Hamas take advantage of its Palestinian partner’s current weakness to join it in pursuing a peace deal. The idea is that this would bestow full legitimacy on the movement – Arab as well as Palestinian, and official as well as popular – and thus force the outside world to have dealings with it.

The discussion becomes more complicated in relation to the impact of developments in the Arab world on attitudes regarding Syria and Iran.

Hamas leaders confirm that there is a freeze in the official relationship with Syria at the top level. President Bashar Assad has on numerous occasions refused to meet with Hamas leaders, reportedly because he believes that it has “failed to stand by the regime against the conspiracy which Syria is facing.”

However, Hamas leaders say that their latest round of meetings resulted in a reaffirmation of their position toward Syria.

These leaders summed up this reaffirmation as follows: Hamas will preserve its strong relationship with the regimes in Syria and Iran, and with other resistance forces, particularly Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.

These groups and states have been actively engaged in providing support to the resistance which goes beyond taking a political position. Hamas acknowledges that the regime in Syria extended strong and practical backing to the resistance in Palestine, particularly during the Israeli assault on Gaza three years ago. This support has not been forgotten by the Damascus-based Hamas leaders, nor by the military wing in Gaza itself. Therefore, Hamas is expected to reciprocate this stand with a very high degree of loyalty.

Hamas leaders say that soon after demonstrations began in Syria, they relayed their concerns that plans were being hatched to use the protests to launch an international campaign against the country.

These concerns were shared during direct discussions with the Syrian president, and with allies in Iran and Lebanon. Hamas advocated a political solution, based on the regime initiating reforms to address and contain public demands. It was thought this would help bring on board the patriotic and Islamic opposition, and isolate oppositionists linked to Western parties that want to undermine Syria and the resistance forces. Hamas also contacted Arab and Turkish Muslim leaders and urged them not to push toward a confrontation that would lead to civil war in Syria.

As for relations with Iran, Hamas leaders affirm that military and financial support programs remain in place. This includes increased provision of arms and equipment, the supply of new types of weapons into the Gaza Strip, and specialist training courses held for hundreds of cadres in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. The movement has also taken advantage of the changes in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya to improve its military procurement.

Hamas denies there has been a halt to Iranian financial assistance. It says reports to the contrary were merely a mistaken attempt to explain a technical hold-up. But this was quickly remedied, and the reasons for it are known by both the Iranian and Palestinian sides. Iran continues its financial support to Hamas, and its provision of military and security assistance to the movement’s military wing.

Leaders in Hamas confirm that a decision has been made not to be based permanently in Syria. Permanent residence by Hamas leaders in Cairo or Amman has meanwhile been ruled out by the Egyptian Supreme Council and the Jordanian authorities.

The Qataris and Turks provide logistical facilities to the movement’s leaders, but on the proviso that their activities are confined to the political side of things.

The bigger question becomes: Is Hamas willing to be confined to the political side of the Palestinian struggle?


http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/armed-wing-opposed-meshal-shakeup-plan

I'm really glad that Ismail Haniyeh went to Iran and pretty much put a stop to the propaganda which wanted to portray Hamas as selling out.