Hamas Vice Chairman's sister being treated at Israeli hospital
The sister of Hamas politburo Vice Chairman Moussa Abu Marzouk is being
treated in an Israel hospital. Earlier, it was disclosed that the daughter of Hamas 'Prime Minister' Ismail Haniyeh was also being treated at another Israeli hospital.
Halamia Shcata, 60, is suffering from cancer and has been hospitalized
in Israel on a number of occasions in the past. Shcata is in critical
condition.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the
Territories did not confirm the report, but stressed that Israel
approves the entry each week of a number of people from Gaza and the
West Bank according to humanitarian needs. The cases are tested on an
individual basis by need without regard to family connections, the COGAT
added.
The news came after the hospitalization of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's daughter in Israel sparked anger last month.
Marzouk accused Israel on Sunday
of violating the cease-fire that ended Operation Protective Edge in
August by closing border crossings into Gaza in response to rocket fire
over the weekend.
What they're not telling you is that it's likely they're being treated for free. I wonder why she's not being treated in a 'Palestinian' hospital.
Only in Israel do we care for our enemies....
Labels: Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Palestinian hospitals
Hamas' Marzouk threatens new war if 'blockade' is not lifted
In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Hamas deputy politburo leader Moussa Abu Marzouk
threatened another war with Israel if the 'blockade' of the Gaza Strip is not lifted. The current truce expires next Thursday. Israel refuses to lift the 'blockade' from its side unless Hamas is disarmed. And no one is even asking about lifting the 'blockade' from the Egyptian side.
The
deputy leader of Hamas, Moussa Abu Marzouk, insisted Thursday that
Hamas won the war, despite the apparent military setbacks.
He
said his group's popularity among Palestinians has increased and that
it would likely defeat Abbas and his Fatah movement if elections were
held today.
Early
this month, a survey conducted by a prominent West Bank pollster found a
significant increase in support for Hamas after the war.
Abu Marzouk warned that failure to negotiate a new Gaza deal and a lifting of the blockade would "lead to another war."
"We
don't want that, and the Israelis, I guess, don't like to see that
(war) again," he said in halting English, speaking in an office in a
Gaza City high-rise overlooking the Mediterranean.
Abu
Marzouk, the deputy of exiled Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, said the
people of Gaza lived in a difficult situation before the war as a result
of the blockade.
"We
can't put the Palestinians after the war in the same situation," said
Abu Marzouk, who has lived in Egypt for the past three years but has
visited Gaza several times. "They (the Israelis) have to change their
policy."
There are a lot of people in Israel who would love another crack at finishing Hamas off. Hmmm.
Labels: Gaza blockade, Gaza plenty, Hamas, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge, weapons acquisition
It's come to this: Hamas may have no choice but to negotiate with the 'occupation'
Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk tells Hamas' al-Aqsa television that Hamas may have no choice but to negotiate with the 'occupation'... because the people of Gaza insist on it.
Let's go to the videotape.
If we'd taken Hamas out altogether, maybe the people of Gaza would actually approve. Who says there's no military solution to terrorism?
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge, Palestinian terrorism
Hamas leaders at odds over 'cease fire'
The
split between Hamas' leadership in Gaza and its political leaders in Qatar that manifested itself during Operation Protective Edge is continuing (Hat Tip:
Honest Reporting).
Unlike the Gaza leader and former Hamas Prime Minister
Ismail Haniyeh, Mashaal has not welcomed the cease-fire and according to
some reports he has been telling his associates that the cease-fire
underscored a colossal failure on the part of Hamas. Mashaal's deputy,
Moussa Abu Marzouk, who is close to the Egyptian regime, has sided with
Haniyeh in the ongoing internal feud.
Only several thousand Palestinians attended a
Hamas rally celebrating the cease-fire on Wednesday, a significant drop
compared to the celebration following other rounds of hostilities. "The
Palestinian resistance, its courage and determination surprised the
Zionist occupation forces," Haniyeh told the Gazan crowds. "No words can
truly capture the scope of the victory; it is beyond time and space,"
he continued. "This campaign is not like any war we have seen in this
conflict with our enemy," he said.
This was the first time Haniyeh appeared in
public in more than 50 days, having chosen to lay low during Operation
Protective Edge. According to unverified reports, Haniyeh was admitted
to a Gaza hospital on Wednesday.
A senior Gazan official told the Arab media outlets
Wednesday that in light of significant damage to schools, there was a
real possibility that the start of the school year would be delayed. He
said many schools had been damaged and those that have remained in tact
were now occupied by displaced Gazans. A senior Palestinian official
told Israel Hayom on Tuesday that it would take at least 10 to 15 years
to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
The rumor is that Haniyeh had a heart attack and is back in Shifa where he's been for the last seven weeks. Poetic justice.
Labels: cease fire, Gaza, Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge
Hamas: No 'progress' in 'cease fire' talks
Hamas' Moussa Abu Marzouk is denying reports of '
progress' in 'cease fire' talks.
12:17 P.M. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas offical
and head of the Palestinian delegation to Cairo, rejects reports of
progress in talks with Israel on a Gaza cease-fire deal. (Jack Khoury)
We haven't hit them hard enough yet. Then again, given that Marzouk is in Qatar, he, like Khaled Meshaal, is happy to fight to the last Gazan.
Labels: cease fire, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge
Marzouk, Meshaal and Haniyeh lead Hamas billionaires
I meant to post this when it came out and got too involved in other things. Fortunately, I saw it again today. Hamas' leaders - who are either hiding in Qatar or in a bunker under Gaza City's Shifa Hospital have
gotten rich from their activities in Hamas. Far richer than you or I could possibly ever hope to be.
Col. (res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, a lecturer in the Middle East Department
of the Western Galilee Academic College, who served in senior positions
in the territories for 30 years, is attempting to answer these
questions.
"The vast majority of Hamas founders and leaders were
refugees or second generation refugees, and some of them were the
product of marriages between Egyptians and Palestinians. They had no
money at all. When they and Hamas were just starting out, the
organization (not in its own name) was nurtured by the Israeli military
government, which fostered the Islamic associations working in the Gaza
Strip as a counterweight to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Their phenomenal wealth started accumulating when they decided to
disassociate themselves from Israel and search for alternative financing
sources."
Elad explains that the money came from two directions:
"Legacies from the deceased; money from charity funds; a donation
called zaka, one of the six pillars of Islam; and donations from various
countries. It started with Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Iran added
later and becoming one of Hamas's biggest supporters, and ended with
Qatar, which has now taken Iran's place."
Together with the
donations from various countries, fundraisers began operating in the US
to collect money for Hamas. Here, the Hamas leaders began to get their
hands on some really big money. "One of those fundraisers was Dr. Musa
Abu Marzook, the number 2 man in Hamas," Elad says. "At the beginning of
the 1990s, he began a fundraising campaign in the US among wealthy
Muslims, while at the same time founding several banking enterprises. He
himself became a conglomerate of 10 financial enterprises giving loans
and making financial investments. He's an amazing financier."
The
US administration ordered Marzook's arrest in 1995 on charges of
supporting terrorism. After he spent two years in a US prison, it was
decided to expel him without trial. He kept the money. "When he was
expelled from the US in 1997, he was already worth several million
dollars," Elad says, adding, "Somehow he evaded the clutches of the US
Internal Revenue Service and was not charged with financing terrorism.
People in the know say he probably became connected to the
administration and cooperated with it. There is no proof, but it's hard
to think of any other reason why he escaped punishment for such serious
offenses. In 2001, in the investigation of the September 11 events, it
turned out that he had extensive financial connections with Al Qaeda,
including the transfer of funds to the 21 Al Qaeda operatives accused of
the attacks."
Today, Marzook is considered one of Hamas's
wealthiest billionaires. "Arab sources estimate his wealth at $2-3
billion," Elad says.
Another Hamas leader-turned-tycoon is Khaled
Mashaal. "Estimates around the world are that Mashaal is currently
worth $2.6 billion, but the numbers mentioned by the Arab commentators
(based on their many sources) are much higher, varying from $2-5 billion
invested in Egyptian and Persian Gulf banks, and some in real estate
projects in the Persian Gulf countries," Elad adds.
The next
tycoon on the list is Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. "He is a
scion of a family from the Al-Shati refugee camp, and his capital is
estimated at $4 million," Elad says, adding, "He registered most of his
assets in the Gaza Strip in the name of his son-in-law, Nabil, and in
the name of a dozen of his sons and daughters and a few less well known
Hamas leaders. They all have homes in good neighborhoods in the Gaza
Strip, where the value of every home is at least $1 million."
Thank you Bill Clinton (it was Clinton who released Marzouk).
Read the whole thing.
Labels: follow the money, Gaza, Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, Mousa Abu Marzouk
Hamas claims it knows nothing about a kidnapped soldier (Goldin is British-born)
I have open the Twitter feed of
Gal Berger, Israel Radio's Arab affairs correspondent. The twitter page is in Hebrew (with some occasional Arabic). But the tweets indicate that one Hamas higher-up after another claims not to know anything about a kidnapped IDF soldier.
The most definitive tweet is this one.
Translation: Moussa Abu Marzuk from Cairo: Even if it turns out that there is a hostage - the negotiations for him will be separate from the Cairo talks on a cease fire.
Right....
(Berger is also reporting that the 'Palestinians' will be in Cairo to negotiate tomorrow and the Israelis on Sunday).
By the way, Hadar Goldin was
born in the UK.
Shabbat Shalom everyone.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, kidnapping, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge
Hamas calls for reinforcements
Hamas keeps telling us that they're 'winning,' but they're faring badly enough that they have now called on Hezbullah to deflect some of the IDF's might by
attacking Israel from the North.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, who serves as Khaled Mashaal’s top deputy and who is currently based in Cairo, told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday that the organization hoped that the Lebanese Shi’ite group would engage Israel from the north.
“We hope the Lebanese front will open and together we will fight against this formation [Israel],” Abu Marzouk told RIA Novosti.
“There’s no arguing that Lebanese resistance could mean a lot,” Abu Marzouk said.
Last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to support "the resistance in Gaza in any way necessary" in its fight against the IDF.
Nasrallah made the statements in a phone call with Mashaal and the leader of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Salah.
Talk of Hezbullah joining in is just that - talk. Hezbullah still remembers what it suffered and what Lebanon suffered in 2006, when there was still a colorable argument that Hezbullah was not the same thing as Lebanon. Given Hezbullah's position in the Lebanese government, that argument can no longer be made. Hezbullah is Lebanon and Lebanon is Hezbullah (yes,
I know, I argued
that was the case in 2006, but it's much more true today). Israel has warned Hezbullah in no uncertain terms that if it attacks, Israel will destroy all of Lebanon's infrastructure (which they
started to do in 2006 and then stopped when then-President Fouad Siniora went crying to George Bush). It should take about four hours.
On top of that, Hezbullah is embroiled in defending the Assad regime in Syria (Israel Radio reported last week that Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah's nephew was killed fighting for Assad on the Lebanese - Syrian border last week). It doesn't have the manpower to send after Israel.
And Hezbullah, like Hamas, is dependent on a tunnel network, but one that would not require as much close quarters finding to destroy.
Hezbullah would be foolish to get involved in this. I don't see it happening.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, Hamas rockets, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbullah, Hezbullah rockets, Khaled Meshaal, Lebanon, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge, terror tunnels
Report: Hamas turned down a cease fire
Hamas
turned down a cease fire offer from Israel last week according to a report on the Walla! news site.
Despite reports that Cairo has been staying out of the conflict
between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist groups, Egyptian officials have
reportedly been working behind the scenes to broker a temporary
ceasefire between the sides - but to no avail. Attempts to do so
ultimately fizzled out last week, and rocket fire on Israel continued.
However, while Hamas and PLO officials have blamed Israel for the
lack of a cease-fire, it was actually Hamas who rejected the offer of a
40-hour "cooling-off" period, Walla! News revealed Sunday.
Both Israeli and Palestinian Arab sources told the daily that Cairo presented Israel's offer of a ceasefire to Deputy Head of the unity government Political Bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouk last week.
Marzouk immediately rejected the cease fire, the sources said,
after a brief consultation with senior officials from Hamas's "military
wing," the Ezzadine Al-Qassam Brigades.
Egyptian officials stressed that were not be responsible for
publishing Hamas's rejection of the offer, but did say that Hamas would
be responsible for the negative repercussions of that decision.
And it doesn't look like there's going to be a cease fire anytime soon either.
There appears to be a broad consensus within the coalition government on the issue.
"The Israeli government at this stage is not answering ceasefire efforts because we want to know first that we have taken away Hamas's desire to do this again in another year or six months," Finance Minister and Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid told IDF Radio Sunday.
"That has not happened yet. When that happens, then we can talk."
Faster, faster....
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, cease fire, Gaza, Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Operation Protective Edge, Yair Lapid
US 'changing its position' on Hamas-Fatah unity deal?
You didn't really think that a little thing like a
pact with the devil was going to stop President Hussein Obama from talking to the 'Palestinians' did you?
Abu Marzouk also revealed that Hamas recently held talks with the European Union (EU) and an unofficial American representative.
Hamas officials "sensed a change in the American position," he said - hinting that the US is becoming more open to the idea of a Hamas-led "unity" Palestinian Arab government. A senior US administration official had said last month that the United States would have to reconsider its assistance to PA if Fatah and Hamas form a government together.
Hamas officials, meanwhile, continue to debate over how the unity
pact will affect the "struggle against the Occupation." Abu Marzouk
stated that "there is a need to diversify" Hamas's approach to the
"Palestinian problem," but Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh disagrees.
Haniyeh stressed over the weekend that an armed struggle is the only relevant answer to establishing a Palestinian Arab state.
"Reconciliation comes only to strengthen and maintain the armed
struggle to deter the ongoing occupation, and the crimes that harm our
people," Haniyeh claimed, in a speech Saturday to a Gaza mosque. He
reiterated Hamas's commitment to "restore the liberation of Jerusalem
from the taint of occupation."
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Ismail Haniyeh, Mousa Abu Marzouk, US foreign policy
Negotiations with Hamas replacing 'talks' with Israel
In the aftermath of the apparent collapse of 'peace talks' with Israel, '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen has opened negotiations over
reconciliation with Hamas.
Senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said Monday he is optimistic that
political tensions between Fatah and Hamas will come to an end following
upcoming reconciliation talks in Gaza.
Al-Ahmad, who is
currently in Egypt, told Ma'an that a PLO delegation of five members
will travel to Gaza from the West Bank within 48 hours to meet top Hamas
leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mousa Abu Marzouq.
"We are going to
Gaza not to propose new suggestions, but rather to carry out a clear
mission which is to end the state of disagreement and address three
decisive issues," al-Ahmad said.
"We are going to address the
formation of a national consensus government, elections and
restructuring the PLO in order to maintain Palestinian unity so we can
dedicate our efforts to confronting Israeli occupation."
The meeting will likely set a deadline for forming a unity government which will begin implementing the Cairo agreement.
Egyptian
security forces will allow Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouq to cross
into Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Monday, officials said.
Meanwhile, Israel has denied permission for a PLO official to enter the Gaza Strip via the Erez crossing point.
Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti has been denied a permit to the
Gaza Strip via the Erez crossing, a PLO official said Monday.
PLO
Executive Committee member Jamil Shehada told Ma'an that Israel
rejected Barghouti's application for a permit to enter Gaza, where he
intends to travel as a member of a delegation to discuss national
reconciliation.
Shehada said the delegation would travel to Gaza via Egypt if necessary.
They don't really expect us to facilitate this, do they?
Labels: Abu Mazen, Erez crossing, Gaza, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Ismail Haniyeh, Mousa Abu Marzouk
Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler
Here's Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler for Friday, April 20.
1) Springtime for Abbas Last May, the Associated Press carried a story, Inspired by Arab Spring, Palestinian protest is bursting with new energy:
Sunday's protests were driven by renewed hopes that Palestinian statehood - at least as an internationally approved idea within specific borders - is approaching after years of paralysis.
The optimism is fed by reconciliation efforts between the Islamic militant Hamas and the Western-backed Fatah movement after a four-year split, as well as growing international support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' plan to seek UN recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in September over Israel's objections.
Although some say UN recognition will change little on the ground, the pro-democracy revolts in the Arab world have instilled a new sense of possibility among Palestinians, who had been dejected after two failed uprisings against Israeli rule and fruitless peace talks over the past 20 years.
The premise here is that there was a parallel between the Arab Spring and Palestinian statehood aspirations. That's not quite right. The Arab Spring was initially about having greater self determination or at least a protest against the rulers. But the Palestinians freedom isn't dependent on statehood. They already have institutions of government. The question remains what will it take to for Israel to make peace with the Palestinians. Already in 2000 and again in 2008, Israeli offers of peace were rejected by the Palestinian leaders.
In a similar vein, a few months earlier, Thomas Friedman nastily commented, in B.E., Before Egypt. A.E., After Egypt:
But Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel is in danger of becoming the Mubarak of the peace process. Israel has never had more leverage vis-à-vis the Palestinians and never had more responsible Palestinian partners. But Netanyahu has found every excuse for not putting a peace plan on the table.
Why Friedman argues about "leverage" is mystifying. He believes, that "everyone knows" what peace will look like and yet the Palestinians have twice rejected proposals that were very similar.
is general argument that Netanyahu was marginalizing himself is false. Barring an unforeseen scandal, Netanyahu's chances of reelection are very strong. It is Abbas and Fayyad who are complaining about being sidelined. So no, nothing's passed Israel by.
Jackson Diehl has just reviewed how the past year's gone in Mahmoud Abbas's Unhappy Anniversary:
The final phase of the Abbas strategy was supposed to kick in last fall: Palestinians were urged to turn out for mass pro-statehood demonstrations. Abbas’s aides made no secret of their hopes that a new popular intifada would erupt, a Palestinian version of the Arab Spring that, combined with the U.N. votes, would bring unprecedented pressure to bear on Israel.
Only nothing happened. There were a couple of West Bank demonstrations but no intifada.
This week, Abbas effectively brought his campaign to a close with a last, pathetic gesture: a letter, under preparation for months, that was delivered to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a Palestinian delegation. Predictably, the missive faulted Israel for the failure of peace talks; somewhat audaciously, it also blamed Netanyahu for the collapse of Palestinian reconciliation.
While I have quibbles with some of the particulars in the column, Diehl has the major points correct. It is Abbas, who despite the bluster who is left behind.
Abbas, in fact, has overstayed his term in office by more than three years, is thoroughly corrupt and is now using his power to persecute and intimidate political opponents. In other words, Abbas, himself, is the antithesis of the "Arab spring."
2) Springtime for Abu Marzouk
This past October, the Christian Science Monitor reported Hamas popularity hits a new low after opposing UN statehood bid. Among the factors contributing to its declining popularity was the perception of corruption:
And while Hamas opposes Abbas's position, it has not offered an alternative strategy and appears content to enjoy the benefits of power while Gazans suffer.
A joke circulating the territory posits that the reason Hamas's armed wing, Al Qassam Brigades, has stopped firing rockets at Israel is that the fighters' jeeps lack air conditioning. Residents tell stories of Hamas officials who used to drive modest cars now sporting luxury vehicles, and Gazans like Mr. Gamar, the gas station owner, complain the government is reaching into their pockets in every way it can.
But for now at least, Hamas doesn't appear to see an urgent need to change the status quo.
A new article in the Washington Post, In Gaza, Hamas rule has not turned out as many expected, by Karin Brulliard has picked up this theme:
Ideology aside, the Hamas that won control of this Mediterranean strip, isolated by an economic siege and hobbled by 30 percent unemployment, no longer looks the same to many Gazans. It secured once-lawless streets, as promised. But hopes of Islam-guided fairness and an end to the graft that had tainted the tenure of the secular Fatah party have turned to widespread griping about Hamas corruption and patronage.
Hamas has hired more than 40,000 civil servants, and analysts say the top tiers are filled by loyalists. Members of the Hamas elite are widely thought to have enriched themselves through investment in the dusty labyrinth of smuggling tunnels beneath the border with Egypt and taxes on the imported goods. That money has been channeled into flashy cars and Hamas-owned businesses that only stalwarts get a stake in, critics say.
Street-level umbrage has risen in recent months alongside tax increases and a crippling power crisis that has caused 18-hour blackouts and gas station lines that snake around corners. It began after Egypt stopped providing subsidized fuel for vehicles and Gaza’s sole power plant through the tunnels. Analysts — and ordinary Gazans — say the crisis has been prolonged by Hamas’s refusal to import pricier fuel through an Israeli-controlled crossing.
(This is the second recent article by Brulliard. While not perfect, her limited work until now has been far superior to that of Joel Greenberg, who only seemed to report when there was some way to make Israel look bad. If Brulliard has replaced Greenberg, that would seem to be a positive development.)
Even if Hamas's corruption is not as extensive as Abbas's it still is widespread, and undercuts the "good government" image they tried to cultivate.
Many assumed (or, at least, predicted) that Hamas would govern well. Many also assumed that taking on the responsibilities of governing would moderate Hamas. According to an interview of Mousa Abu Marzouk by the Forward, that has not happened:
Abu Marzook, deputy director of Hamas’s political bureau, for the most part used the opportunity to expand on long-standing Hamas positions. Contrary to some media reports, he indicated no new flexibility that would move Hamas closer to accepting conditions laid down by the so-called Quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations for his group’s participation in the now moribund Middle East peace process. Abu Marzook did not, however, foreclose the possibility of a more accommodating relationship with Israel in the future.
I'm disappointed by this and similar comments:
But David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, focused more on the actual content. “Unfortunately,” he said, “it’s a validation of those who believe Hamas has a far way to go before it becomes a legitimate Palestinian interlocutor.”
The qualifications are outrageous. "[V]alidation?" No it's a confirmation. "[T]hose who believe?" No, it's a confirmation of what Hamas is. This isn't a matter of perceptions.
See more at Israel Matzav and Elder of Ziyon.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Arab spring, Hamas, Middle East Media Sampler, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Soccer Dad
Hamas says no to Fayyad
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
In a move that will no doubt please the 'international community,' Hamas has officially said no to a unity government headed by
Salam Fayyad.
Appointing Fayyad for the new government "is unacceptable and it cannot theoretically or practically lead to achieving reconciliation," said Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy chief of Hamas ' politburo.
Abu Marzouk said the unity government should replace Hamas' Gaza government and Fayyad's government in the West Bank. "We cannot talk about dissolving Haneya's government while keeping Fayyad as a prime minister," he added, referring to Hamas' Prime Minister Ismail Haneya.
It is the first time that Hamas announces openly its rejection to Fayyad to lead the government. Abbas wants Fayyad to be the upcoming premier due to his acceptance by the West to avoid international isolation of the government.
Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, Hamas' main rival, condemned Hamas' attempts to impose its stances prior to next week's meeting in Cairo to discuss the formation of the government.
A Fatah leader criticized Abu Marzouk's statements, adding that he should not talk this way in the media. "The positions should have been better announced on the table of dialogue, not through the media," said Hussien al-Sheikh of Fatah.
He noted that this issue would be discussed thoroughly when Hamas and Fatah meet on Tuesday.
Can we start the civil war watch yet?
Heh.
Labels: Mahmoud Abbas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Salam Fayyad
