Tag Archive for Fatah-Hamas

| May 6, 2014
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Hamas’ Meshaal & PA’s Abbas hold 1st talks since unity deal

 

Hamas leaders in Gaza release 6 imprisoned members of Abbas’ Fatah party as goodwill gesture to form Palestinian unity gov’t.

By i24news

 

The Hamas government in Gaza announced late Monday it released six imprisoned members of the West Bank-based Fatah party. A statement by the interior ministry of the coastal enclave also said Hamas hopes the goodwill gesture will be reciprocated by Ramallah.

لقاء عباس ومشعل في الدوحة ( ثائر غنيم (اف ب) )Abbas and Meshaal hold first talks in Gaza since unity deal

The announcement came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas convened with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Doha in the first meeting since their rival movements signed a surprise unity deal last month.

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| April 30, 2014
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Zahar: Unity deal with Fatah won’t make Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist

 

One of Hamas’s most influential voices, Mahmoud Al-Zahar, says unity deal will not change Gaza status quo, dismissing Abbas’ promises that the Palestinian unity agreement will ever recognize Israel.

By REUTERS

 

A Palestinian unity deal will not lead Islamist group Hamas to recognize Israel’s right to exist and will not result in any Gaza militants coming under President Mahmoud Abbas’s control, a senior Hamas official said on Tuesday.

gaza

Veteran Hamas strategist Mahmoud Al-Zahar – Photo: REUTERS

Veteran Hamas strategist Mahmoud Al-Zahar told Reuters the group, which runs the Gaza Strip, was waiting for Abbas to form a unity government, but said the Palestinian leader was taking his time in an effort to overcome US and Israeli opposition. Continue Reading »

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| April 29, 2014
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Rand Paul: Stop Palestinian aid unless they recognize Israel as Jewish state

 

Paul, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential campaign in 2016, said introducing law to stop the aid was needed because of the Fatah-Hamas unity agreement.

By JTA

 

 
WASHINGTON  — US Sen. Rand Paul said he will introduce legislation that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority unless its government recognized Israel as a Jewish state.
US Senator Rand Paul

US Senator Rand Paul – Photo: Mike Segar / Reuters

Paul (R-Ky.), a likely contender for the Republican presidential nod in 2016, said the law was needed because of the interim governance agreement last week between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

He said he would introduce the legislation this week if there is no such statement after five weeks — the deadline set by Hamas and the Fatah faction to establish an interim government that would lay the ground for elections.

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| April 29, 2014
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Jerusalem to begin sanctions against Palestinian intransigence

In response of Fatah-Hamas unity deal and bid to join UN organizations, Israel confirmed list of additional sanctions against Palestinian Authority to begin day before ‘peace-talks’ set to reach deadline.

By Elior Levy

 

Israel has begun implementing economic sanctions against the Palestinians, after threatening to do so in wake of their new bid to join some UN organizations and recently announced unity deal between rival Fatah and Hamas, a senior Palestinian told Ynet Monday evening, a mere day before peace talks reach their deadline.

Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh - Photo: REUTERS

Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh – Photo: REUTERS

Israel confirmed additional sanctions Monday, saying has frozen plans to build housing for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| April 25, 2014
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US Congresswoman Lowey plans to stop funding Palestinians

Rep. Nita Lowey said she is ready to launch steps to stop the $400 million the Palestinians receive annually.

It would be illegal to fund Hamas, a designated terrorist group.

By JTA

 

WASHINGTON — Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), a top congressional appropriator, said she is ready to launch steps to defund the Palestinian Authority in the wake of its unity agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) - Photo: NY Daily News

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) – Photo: NY Daily News

“I’ll be working with the State Department on the logistics of suspending assistance,” Lowey told JTA on Thursday, after the Israeli government said it was formally suspending peace talks because of the agreement.

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| April 24, 2014
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Palestinian unity agreement may be ruse to terminate duplicitous negotiations

 

Officials in Jerusalem were not convinced that the reconciliation effort was sincere, said one Israeli source. “We have seen such moves in the past; it may all be a charade.”

By Elior Levy

 

Even as Palestinian officials protested that the reconciliation with Hamas did not doom the negotiations with Israel, sources in Jerusalem cast doubt Thursday on the sincerity of the historic unity agreement.

Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday that the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas does not signal an end to the peace process and that “any agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel will include the Gaza Strip.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| April 24, 2014
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U.S. Supports Israel’s Decision to Discontinue Peace Talks with Palestinians

State Department spokeswoman agrees that Israel can’t be expected “to negotiate with a gov’t that does not believe in its right to exist.”

By Elad Benari

 

The United States on Wednesday expressed support for Israel’s decision to cancel a planned session of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, in the wake of an announced Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal.

John Kerry with Jen Psaki at right -Photo: Reuters

“It’s hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, according to AFP. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , , ,
| April 23, 2014
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Fatah & Hamas prepare to implement reconciliation agreement

Palestinian factions are to finalize details on Wednesday morning, says Abbas representative in Gaza.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu tells Austria FM: Abbas must choose between peace with Hamas or peace with Israel.

By and

 

 

Hamas and Fatah were preparing to implement a historic reconciliation deal on Wednesday, nearly seven years after a schism between the rival Palestinian factions.

Fatah and Hamas May 4 2011

Jubilant Palestinians releasing balloons in the colors of the Palestinian flag during a Fatah & Hamas May 4 2011 rally. – Photo: AP

“There has been great progress, and we are near ready to sign a deal, at 11 A.M.,” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 7, 2014
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Hamas announces steps toward ending feud with Fatah

 

Hamas leader Haniyeh says, “These decisions are for the sake of implementing reconciliation and unification.”

By

 

 

Gazan Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced a series of measures on Monday  aimed at bringing reconciliation between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and its main rival, Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority that runs the West Bank.

Palestinians hold torches and posters of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat

Palestinians hold torches and posters of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and late Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. – Photo: AP

Haniyeh said anyone who left the Gaza Strip for political reasons will be allowed to return, several Fatah activists currently imprisoned in Gaza will be released, and Fatah members of parliament who reside in the Fatah-controlled West Bank will now be allowed to visit Gaza. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| December 19, 2013
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Palestinian Politicians Target One Another in PA Violence

Palestinian Authority violent infighting sees assassination attempts as minister targeted in shooting or gangster behavior when lawmaker  physically assaulted fellow Fatah official.

By Maayana Miskin

 

A Palestinian Authority minister came under attack on Wednesday, the Bethlehem-based Maan news reports.

Minister of Islamic Endowments Mahmoud Habbash was targeted by unknown gunmen shortly after arriving at his office in Al-Bireh, near Ramallah. The masked men opened fire in the direction of the office.

Al-Bireh’s guards returned fire, and the shooters fled the scene. No casualties were reported.

Earlier Wednesday a scuffle broke out between a PA lawmaker and a senior Fatah official. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| November 3, 2013
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Fatah May Have Informed Israel about Hamas Tunnel

An Arabic-language website published documents it claims were sent via Ramallah intelligence to Israel, revealing Hamas’ tunnels’ locations.

By Dalit Halevy

 

Arabic-language website awraqq.com has published two documents that it says were sent by Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence to Israel’s intelligence organizations, and which expose the location of two tunnels that Hamas dug from Gaza into Israel.

This information is what made it possible for Israel to prevent the tunnels from being used for terror attacks, according to the website.

According to the report, one tunnel was prepared by the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, and the other by the armed wing of Hamas – the Al-Qassam Brigades. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| August 24, 2013
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Abbas’ Plans to Call Elections will Challenge Hamas

PA President Abbas is planning to challenge Hamas’ legitimacy by holding elections only in Judea & Samaria & then declaring that Gaza is a ‘rebel region.’

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is planning to challenge Hamas by holding elections only in the areas of Judea and Samaria under his control, Channel 2 News reported on Friday.

According to the report, which cited officials in Ramallah, Abbas is planning to call for elections in the PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria soon, and has appointed a team of officials from his Fatah movement to plan the move. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| August 1, 2013
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PA minister urges Gazans to ‘fatwa’ (revolt) against Hamas

PA Minister Habbash wrote on his Facebook account that the fatwa was the duty of Gaza Muslims to end Hamas’s control over the local Palestinians.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

A Palestinian Authority minister in Ramallah on Wednesday issued a fatwa [Islamic religious decree] obliging Palestinians to revolt against Hamas and end its control over the Gaza Strip.

PA Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud Habbash

PA Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud Habbash
Photo: Courtesy Palestinian Media Watch

The fatwa, issued by PA Minister for Wakf Affairs, Mahmoud Habbash, is yet another sign of mounting tensions between Fatah and Hamas in wake of the crisis in Egypt.

Fatah, the ruling faction of the PA, supports the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, while Hamas has condemned it as a military coup against a legitimate and democratically elected leader.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| April 16, 2013
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Fatah: Now that Fayyad Quit, Go Make Peace with Hamas

A member of the Fatah party says PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas must now form a gov’t with Gaza’s Hamas terror group.

By Elad Benari

 

 

Now that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has resigned, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas must form a government with the Hamas terror group, a high-ranking member of Abbas’s Fatah party said on Monday, according to an AFP report.

Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas

“The president must hold consultations with Palestinian movements to form a national unity government and set a date for elections,” Azzam al-Ahmed, a leader of the Fatah party, told Voice of Palestine radio.

Fatah, which controls the PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria, has been at odds for years with its bitter rival, the Hamas terror group that governs Gaza. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| February 10, 2013
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Hamas blames Abbas for unity talks failure

Hamas member, Musa Abu Marzouk, blames Abbas for the failure of the Egyptian sponsored reconciliation talks in Cairo.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

Representatives of Hamas and Fatah who met in Cairo over the weekend concluded their talks without reaching any agreement, Palestinian officials said on Saturday.

PA chief Abbas and Hamas leader Mashaal in Cairo - Photo by ReutersThe two sides met in a renewed bid to end the dispute between the two groups, but could not agree on the formation of a Palestinian unity government or holding new elections.

Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, held Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the failure of the Egyptian sponsored reconciliation talks.

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