Tag Archive for Hamas Fatah

Hamas & Fatah argue over Arafat memorial ceremony

 

The 2 largest Palestinian factions fight over Arafat’s legacy, as Hamas refuses Fatah members at Gaza memorial ceremony. 

By AFP

Palestinian movement Fatah has accused Gaza’s rulers Hamas of banning it from commemorating Monday’s ninth anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s death and arresting several of its members.

Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat, not yet dead

“We condemn the summoning and arrest of some of our members and demand to stop them immediately,” said the Ramallah-based Fatah party, which was founded by Arafat and is now headed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas .

Arafat died in Paris on November 11, 2004 at 75 after falling sick a month earlier. Continue Reading »

Egypt to Hamas: PA forces in place is key to reopening Rafah crossing

 

Cairo says without Abbas’ PA forces, Rafah border crossing will remain closed.

Hamas officials furious, calling the decision a “conspiracy”.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

 

 

Egypt won’t reopen the Rafah border crossing unless forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are allowed to return to the terminal, the PLO ambassador in Cairo, Barakat al-Farra, announced on Saturday.

A member of Hamas security forces rides a motorcycle on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza.

A member of Hamas security forces rides a motorcycle on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza. – Photo: REUTERS

Hamas said the announcement proved that the Gaza Strip was facing a “conspiracy.”

Abbas’s presidential guard was in control of the border crossing between 2005 and 2007, when Hamas expelled the PA from the Gaza Strip.

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Fatah, Abbas Would Like Egypt To Overthrow Hamas

 

 

As the Egyptian army continues to demolish houses and smuggling tunnels, Fatah leaders in the West Bank are hoping that they will soon be able to return to the Gaza Strip.

An Egyptian army watchtower at Rafah, along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt. – Photo: Marius Arnesen

At one time, Fatah leaders had hopes that Israel would overthrow Hamas through military force. Continue Reading »

Islamist terror organization Hamas getting closer to Iran

 

 

Resumption of peace talks only intensifies internal disagreements between Palestinian factions.


Most Palestinians are still skeptical about results of peace negotiations.

By The Media Line

The Islamist Hamas movement has sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority for resuming peace talks with Israel, saying that President Mahmoud Abbas is giving in to American pressure. The criticism comes as Hamas moves toward a rapprochement with Iran, despite differences over Syria.

Members of Hamas police take part in a graduation ceremony in Gaza City, Dec. 17, 2012. - Photo REUTERS-Suhaib Salem

Members of Hamas police take part in a graduation ceremony in Gaza City,. – Photo REUTERS-Suhaib Salem

“The (Israeli-Palestinian) negotiations will not lead to anything – it’s just wasting time,” Hamas deputy foreign minister Ghazi Hamad told The Media Line. Continue Reading »

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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Hamas accuses Abbas’ PA for attacks on group in Egyptian media

Fatah officials speaking for Abbas, dismiss the Hamas charges, saying the documents they presented at the press conference were forged.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
 

 

 
Hamas leaders on Tuesday released documents that, they said, prove that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are responsible for an Egyptian media campaign against the Islamist movement.
HAMAS GUNMEN hold a poster depicting Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza City June 2012.

HAMAS GUNMEN hold a poster depicting Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza City June 2012. – Photo: Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Over the past few months, reports in several Egyptian media outlets have accused Hamas of meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs.

Some reports claimed that Hamas had dispatched gunmen to Sinai and other parts of Egypt to kill civilians and soldiers.

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Hamas calls on Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing & stop destroying tunnels

PLO officials in the West Bank blamed Hamas for the closure of the Gaza terminal saying Hamas’s meddling in the internal affairs of Egypt, by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, has harmed the national interests of the Palestinians.

The official went on call on Gazans to follow Egyptian example & unseat Hamas from power.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

 

 

The Hamas government on Sunday called on the Egyptian authorities to reopen the Rafah border crossing, which was closed on Friday following a spate of terror attacks against Egyptian security forces in Sinai.

Egyptian Army soldiers guard gates of Sinai Gaza closed border crossing, May 20, 2012.

Egyptian Army soldiers guard gates of Sinai Gaza closed border crossing, May 20, 2012.

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Hamas Condemns ‘Illegal’ New Abbas Appointed Government

Hamas furious at newly created PA leadership, accuses Fatah of prolonging dispute.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The Hamas government in Gaza has slammed Fatah for creating a new Palestinian Authority government.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya - Photo AFP

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya – Photo AFP

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has tasked Rami Hamdallah with serving as Prime Minister and putting together a new cabinet. Hamdallah is expected to announce his cabinet on Thursday.

Abbas’ move “proves that the Fatah leadership is willing to maintain and prolong the state of disagreement,” read a Hamas statement printed by Maan news.

Hamas sources noted that they have no objections to Hamdallah in particular. Continue Reading »

Fatah & Hamas agree to hold general elections in 3 months

 

Brokered by Egypt, rivaling Hamas & Fatah terrorist factions reach “historic deal,”  for holding long overdue general elections in Gaza & the West Bank by upcoming summer.

By Daniel Siryoti and Israel Hayom Staff

 

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have agreed to form a unity government within three months, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

Continue Reading »

Hamas predicts ‘unity gov’t’ within 3 months

In wake of talks currently held in Cairo, Hamas Dep. Politburo head Mousa Abu Marzook, reports Palestinian reconciliation achieved and unity gov’t to be formed by July.

Ynet

A reconciliation is in sight between the divided factions governing the Palestinians, as Hamas announced it has reached a deal with rival Fatah regarding the formation of a new unity government within three months.

אבו מאזן וחאלד משעל בקהיר (ארכיון) (צילום: EPA)

Mashal & Abbas in Cairo – Archive: EPA

Hamas’s deputy politburo chief, Musa Abu Marzook, spoke with the Palestinian news agency Ma’an and claimed that representatives from both sides have decided to go forward with the deal in wake of the talks held in Cairo. Continue Reading »

Gaza Nazi-Style Youth Movement Prepares Palestinians for Jihad

by Khaled Abu Toameh

 

Thousands of Palestinian schoolchildren have been receiving military training in the Gaza Strip to prepare them for jihad against Israel.

Emulating the Nazis

According to Mohamed Siam, a senior official with the Hamas-run ministry, some 9,000 high school children have already joined 36 camps throughout the Gaza Strip and are being taught how to use various types of weapons and handle explosives. Continue Reading »

PLO’s apathy at Hamas’s Talibanization of the Gaza Strip

Instead of seeking unity with Hamas, the PLO leadership should be making a bigger effort to prevent radical Islam from extending its control to the West Bank.

By Khaled Abu Toameh

 

Those who thought that Hamas would ever establish a modern and liberal regime in the Gaza Strip received another reminder this week of how the radical Islamist movement is pursuing its effort to create a Taliban-style entity in the territory that has been under its control since 2007.PA chief Abbas and Hamas leader Mashaal in Cairo - Photo by Reuters

The reminder came in the form of a decision taken by the Al-Aqsa University administration in the Gaza Strip to force female students to dress in accordance with Islamic teachings. Continue Reading »

Hamas recruits Fatah: Let’s fight Israel together

Mahmoud Zahar tells Fatah to “stop wasting time & effort” on peace process

Join our [armed] resistance & the liberation of Palestine.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar on Monday called on Fatah to join his movement in the fight against Israel and to stop wasting time and effort with the peace process.

Zahar’s call came as Hamas and Fatah representatives stepped up their efforts to end their differences and achieve “national reconciliation.”

Fatah activists arrive in Gaza - Photo: REUTERS

Fatah activists arrive in Gaza – Photo: REUTERS

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Ramallah that his top priority now was to end the rivalry with Hamas, and said he saw no reason why the two sides could not reach an agreement on holding presidential and parliamentary elections.

Continue Reading »