Hamas' Marzouk would rather Israeli control of Gaza than the 'blockade'
There are two amazing sides to this amazing coin. First, that Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas' number two outside the Gaza Strip, wants Israel to take over the Gaza Strip. And second, that Marzouk has in essence admitted that
Israel does not currently 'occupy' Gaza - a contradiction to one of the 'Palestinians' main talking points.
Abu Marzouk told the Rai al-Youm newspaper that Israeli
reoccupation of the Gaza Strip would mean that Israel would have to
provide the Palestinians with electricity, water and jobs.
“We prefer the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel to returning
to the state of blockade that prevailed before the current aggression,”
Abu Marzouk, who is based in Cairo, said.
“Occupation means providing
electricity, water and jobs. Providing these daily matters is the
responsibility of the occupying state.”
Abu Marzouk said that he
relayed this message to a Norwegian envoy, who met with him in Cairo a
few days ago to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Abu
Marzouk also held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas, who has been seeking to persuade Hamas to accept the
Egyptian-brokered cease-fire proposal that was announced last week.
Abu
Marzouk said that Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip
reject the proposal “because it encourages Israeli aggression.”
...
Abu Marzouk said that Hamas couldn’t accept Netanyahu’s demands to stop smuggling and manufacturing weapons.
He
quoted Abbas as telling him during the meeting: “We can’t defeat Israel
and we are powerless in front of America. Therefore, there should be a
cease-fire and Hamas must accept the Egyptian proposal immediately and
without any amendments.”
Hamas is looking for Israeli soldiers to target in Gaza. They must be destroyed.
Labels: Gaza, Gaza expulsion, Hamas, occupation, Operation Protective Edge
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
Hamas to Obama: 'Love us just the way we are'
Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal plans to join the politicial speech party with one of his own next week, according to a report in the London-based pan-Arabic daily al-Sharq al-Awswat. Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk gave some indication of
what Meshaal might say.
Exiled Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk urged Obama on Monday to talk directly with his organization, saying it was the representative of the Palestinian people and the American president's drive for Mideast peace is impossible without them.
Marzouk, also told The Associated Press that the group would not renounce violence — a key US demand before Washington will agree to deal with the group that it considers a terrorist organization. The US and its European allies also want Hamas to recognize Israel, another step the group has refused to take.
The Obama administration should change that position, Abu Marzouk said, "because they know that without Hamas their efforts will not succeed."
Abu Marzouk dismissed Obama's call on the Palestinians to abandon violence, saying that "the real violence in the region is (the Israeli) occupation. It's also unacceptable that Obama talked about violence and didn't talk about occupation."
He praised Obama's firm stand against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for a future state along with Gaza and east Jerusalem. Israel captured those areas in the 1967 war.
The Hamas leader said the Obama administration must talk to the group.
"Dealing with Hamas is vital because he (Obama) cannot deal with people who don't represent the Palestinian people," Abu Marzouk said, in a reference to Abbas' Fatah movement.
So how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Is Gilad Shalit about to 'disappear'?
This is not good. Note
this statement by 'senior Hamas official' Moussa Abu Marzouk, as reported by Army Radio this morning.
Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk said Wednesday morning that he has no doubt that the Schalit issue will reopen soon, as reported by Army Radio Wednesday morning.
"Israel must verify what happened to Schalit amidst all the bombings in the Gaza Strip," said Abu Marzouk.
Is Shalit about to become the next
Ron Arad?
Maybe Israel should have finished the job in Gaza....
UPDATE 2:08 PMHere's
more from that interview with Marzouk.
In an interview with the Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Abu Marzouk admitted that his organization had executed several people who were considered to have collaborated with the IDF operation in the Strip and helped the IAF bomb several key targets.
"We will bring to justice those who were involved in helping Israel mark the location of Interior Minister Said Siam," he promised.
Abu Marzouk added that Hamas arrested 50 people across the Strip saying, "Not everyone is accused of collaboration, some are accused of other crimes."
Last week, another senior Hamas official told the London-based Al-Hayat that "It is possible Gilad Schalit was injured and it is possible that he is fine. It doesn't interest us any longer. We did not allocate special security to him because he is equal in worth to a cat or less. His fate doesn't concern us and doesn't preoccupy us any longer."
The sound of crickets you hear in the background are the Red Cross officials who also believe Shalit is worth 'a cat or less.' They protest every slight by Israel to the 'Palestinians' but have never once protested the fact that they have not been allowed to see Shalit in his two and a half years of captivity.
Guess whom they're blaming now!
Two nights ago, Israel Radio opened a special series to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification (today) and Israel's 60th Independence Day (next spring). The series is supposed to run throughout the year and one of its big topics is the fallout from 1967's Six Day War.
The first interview was with Hebrew University Political Science Professor
Shlomo Avineri. Professor Avineri is not exactly known to be a right winger. He said something very interesting that I had never really considered. He said that there will never be any settlement between Israel and the 'Palestinians' until the 'Palestinians' acknowledge that they bear some responsibility for their own naqba (catastrophe - the 'Palestinians' celebrated Naqba Day yesterday because the State of Israel declared its independence on May 15, 1948 on the Gregorian calendar). Today, we see why Professor Avineri's observation is so prescient.
In a telephone conversation with al-AP from Damascus today, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau,
Moussa Abu Marzouk, blamed Israel, the US and the EU (including specifically Javier Solana, who may be the 'Palestinians' best friend in the West)for the internecine warfare between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza.
"The international community and Arab countries shoulder part of the responsibility for the current events due to their attitudes toward the national unity government," Abu Marzouk told The Associated Press by telephone in Damascus. "The continued financial and political siege has pushed matters to this simmering tension."
He also blamed Israel and Arab apathy toward the economic sanctions for the fighting.
"The Israelis are behind all these events," Abu Marzouk said. "It's illogical that the Arabs stand idle watching the Palestinian arena while it's on the verge of explosion under the siege. ... This is a constant pressure that has led to a real explosion."
Abu Marzouk singled out Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, for criticism. "He was one of the main instigator for these events because he is continuing his siege of the Palestinian people and had boycotted Palestinian elections," the Hamas official said.
Of course, the 'Palestinians' could end the boycott at any time by accepting Israel's existence, but Abu Marzouk would rather play the blame game. But just give them a
state reichlet and all will be well in the world.
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
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
Ooops! It was a mixup!
Earlier today, it was reported that the 'good terrorists' from the 'moderate' Fatah movement had signed an agreement to hold discussions on a unity government with the 'bad terrorists' from Hamas. Here's the video report:
You will note that at the end of the report, Margot Dudkevich says that '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen was 'upset' that he was not 'informed' of what was going on in Sana'a, Yemen. The real reason Abu was upset was not because he wasn't 'informed' but because the US State Department was
not pleased.
Asked whether the US supports the Yemeni mediation effort to bridge differences between Hamas and Fatah, a senior administration official said that the United States has made it clear that it will not support working with Hamas unless there is a fundamental change in the group's current role, which the US describes as terrorist.
Israel has been conducting peace talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah-led government in the West Bank, while simultaneously battling Hamas in Gaza. An Israeli official said a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas would mean the end of peace talks.
"The Fatah leadership has to make a choice," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "They can have a peace process and dialogue with Israel or a coalition with Hamas. But it's clear that you can't have them both."
That's a choice that the Fatah leadership has been avoiding (not that it really matters - they're both terror groups - but the US and Israel keep insisting on pretending that it matters).
Now Abu Mazen's chief negotiator
Ahamd Qrei Abu Ala is insisting that the agreement that was signed in Yemen was a '
mixup.'
Abbas has said repeatedly that he would not negotiate a new power-sharing deal with Hamas unless it first steps aside in Gaza. Despite Hamas' refusal to do so, Abbas sent a representative, former Deputy Palestinian Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmed, to Yemen to explore the reconciliation proposal - apparently to avoid being seen as inflexible on trying to mend the deep internal Palestinian rift.
On Sunday, al-Ahmed and a senior Hamas representative, Moussa Abu Marzouk, signed a declaration that both accept a Yemeni initiative calling for the creation of a national unity government and the rebuilding of security forces loyal to that government instead of factions.
A senior Abbas confidant, chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei, said Monday that al-Ahmed signed because of a mixup. Al-Ahmed called Abbas' office repeatedly to get guidance, but Abbas was meeting at the time with US Vice President Dick Cheney, and al-Ahmed went ahead and signed, Qureia said.
"There was a misunderstanding," Qurei told reporters Monday. "President Abbas was busy hosting Cheney, and Azzam tried many times to contact him (Abbas), but couldn't reach him. The talks were at the end, and time was pressing."
Other senior Abbas aides said al-Ahmed should not have signed the agreement.
Well, did Al-Ahmed have authority to sign or not? And if he didn't, what was he doing in Yemen in the first place negotiating on Fatah's behalf?
But the bigger issue is why Abu Mazen can't be honest with his 'people' and tell them that Hamas isn't going to be part of the picture. The answer to that question is actually quite simple: Because Abu Mazen has almost no popular support and he knows it. If he actually tells his 'people' the truth, he could be assassinated. And the goal of all 'Palestinian' negotiations is to keep Abu Mazen alive and kicking. After all, you don't expect Abu Mazen to sacrifice his life for his 'people' do you? Only a
fool suicide bomber would do that.
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
Yes, Israel targeted Mohammed Deif
The JPost is reporting that the 'Palestinians' are accusing Israel of attempting to assassinate Ezzadein al-Qassam brigades commander
Mohammed Deif (center) on Tuesday night.
Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk charged on Wednesday after Gaza truce talks collapsed in a spasm of violence that Israel had targeted the group's armed wing leader Muhammad Deif in one of its air strikes on Tuesday in the coastal territory.
The Israeli military would not specify any of the targets of some 30 attacks across Gaza in response to rocket fire aimed at Israel. Marzouk said Israel had ruptured the truce alleging it was in order "to assassinate Muhammad Deif," but that civilians were killed at the site of the attack.
Palestinian health officials said three people were killed in a strike on a house in Gaza City, including a child and a woman. The third victim was not identified.
Israeli media said Israel had been targeting another leading Hamas militant in charge of rocket fire, but did not know whether or not he had survived the attack.
Deif is certainly a legitimate military target, and if he uses his home as a command post (which is likely), his home is also a legitimate military target.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that two civilians were killed in the strike -
Deif's wife and daughter.
"The wife of the great leader was martyred with his daughter," in a strike on Tuesday night, Hamas' exiled deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
He said nothing about the fate of Mr Deif himself. He said Israel had been looking for "an excuse to target a big Hamas leader".
Palestinian emergency services revised an earlier report of three killed in the strike on a large house in the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood and said the victims were a woman and a two-year-old girl.
...
Mr Deif was appointed head of Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in 2002 after the death of his predecessor Salah Shehade in a raid.
Mr Deif had survived at least five previous Israeli attempts to kill him.
Shehadeh managed to
take 14 civilians with him when he was killed.
The IDF is now confirming that
it did target Deif.
An Israeli diplomatic source confirmed Wednesday morning to Walla! that Israel tried overnight to eliminate Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's "military wing," the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas has claimed that five bunker-buster bombs were fired by Israel targeting the elusive mastermind behind Hamas's terror war.
...
While Deif's condition is currently unknown, local health officials quoted by Reuters said
three people were killed in a strike on a house in Gaza City, including
a child and a woman, possibly Deif's wife and daughter. The third death
was not identified, leaving speculation open that the IAF may in fact
have hit its mark.
Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) commented on the latest
attempt to end Deif's life; the terrorist leader has until now evaded
five IDF assassination attempts, losing both of his legs in one airstrike.
Deif "is exactly like (former Al Qaeda leader Osama) Bin Laden," appraised Sa'ar, speaking to Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio). "This is an arch-murderer. Where there is an operational opportunity to eliminate him - it must be taken."
Note that the Arutz Sheva report - published an hour ago - is four hours later than the Sydney Morning Herald report.
Hmmm.
P.S. Why can't we use bunker busters to target the bunker under Shifa Hospital the same way?
Labels: bunker busters, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Mohammed Deif, Operation Protective Edge, targeted killings
This should make Israelis feel really secure about a 'deal' with the 'Palestinians.'
This should make Israelis feel really secure and really put us in the mood for
suicide '
risk taking' to make 'peace' with the 'Palestinians.'
Any agreement the Palestinian Authority might reach with Israel would be subject to significant changes, a senior Hamas official has told the American newspaper The Forward.
Moussa Abu Marzouk said in an interview to be published next Friday that if Hamas came to power, any treaty would be an interim truce, a hudna, not a permanent accord. This would be the case even if a referendum ratified the deal.
Marzouk's statements reflect a harder line than the stance of the group's political leader, Khaled Meshal, who is seen as Marzouk's main rival.
Meshal has repeatedly said Hamas would honor any agreement signed between the PA and Israel if the Palestinian people supported it.
...
The Forward's assistant managing editor, Larry Cohler-Esses, met Marzouk in Cairo, where the Hamas leader moved after leaving Damascus.
Marzouk, 61, said his organization would not recognize Israel as a state. "It will be like the relationship between Lebanon and Israel or Syria and Israel," he said. This means a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty as Israel has with Jordan or Egypt.
Cohler-Esses told Haaretz the interview had been arranged by the Hamas official's American attorney Stanley Cohen.
"On a personal level he was very interesting with a sense of humor. But I was certainly not optimistic after the things he said," Cohler-Esses said.
Don't expect peace anytime soon.
Labels: Hamas, Middle East peace process
Kuwaiti newspaper: Marzouk given Shalit video
The Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida reports on Monday that Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, who visited the Gaza Strip with Israeli approval on Thursday and Friday of last week, was given a videotape of kidnapped IDF corporal Gilad Shalit that shows Shalit in good health. The tape is being held by Hamas as a '
bargaining chip' to show how 'serious' Hamas is about wrapping up the affair.
The paper on Monday quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Marzouk was given the tape by Izzaddin Kassam Brigades' top commander, Ahmad Jabari. He reportedly also received a letter from Schalit, which he passed on to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of the report.
According to the report, the tape will not be released unless "significant progress" is made in negotiations with Israel, and Palestinian sources were quoted as saying "Hamas wants to use the tape as a bargaining chip at the end of negotiations, to prove how serious it is in its desire to wrap up the matter."
Last week, the Kuwaiti paper reported that Marzouk met with Gaza leaders from his organization's military wing, "including officials responsible for the captivity of Schalit," after attending Palestinian reconciliation talks in Egypt.
Marzouk, who was born in the Rafah refugee camp, spent nearly 24 hours in Gaza after entering from Sinai on March 5, visiting family and his parents' graves, an Israeli defense official told the Post last week.
It was believed to be his first visit to Gaza in at least 20 and possibly 30 years.
Let's hope at least that this time, if the Israeli government is foolish enough to make the kind of lopsided trade that's being discussed, they at least check first that they are getting a live soldier and not a
dead one.
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
'Palestinian elections' in March?
Fatah and Hamas have been holding secret meetings in Cairo with a view toward 'reconciliation' and are planning to
hold 'elections' in March.
The discussions came on the eve of a planned meeting between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in the Egyptian capital next week.
Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior Fatah official in the West Bank, revealed Tuesday that he had held a secret meeting in Cairo with Musa Abu Marzouk, the Syrian-based deputy head of the Hamas “political bureau.”
Al-Ahmed said that he held several meetings with Abu Marzouk “in order to create a positive atmosphere” ahead of the Abbas-Mashaal summit.
The Fatah official voiced optimism regarding the prospects of success of the planned summit saying the two parties have made “good preparations” ahead of the meeting.
He said that Abbas was planning to propose to Mashaal holding new elections in March next year.
The key here is that Fatah has agreed that Salam Fayyad - the only 'Palestinian' who is trusted by the West to handle money - won't be Prime Minister.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Abu Mazen, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Ismail Haniyeh, Palestinian elections 2012, Salam Fayyad
Hamas to Hezbullah: Let's kill Jews together
Sunni Hamas is urging Shia Hezbullah to give up its support for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and
come together to murder Jews instead.
"We call on Hezbollah to take its forces out of Syria and to keep
their weapons directed against the Zionist enemy," Moussa Abu Marzouk, a
Cairo-based Hamas leader, said on his Facebook page.
The call
marked a further deterioration in relations between Hamas and Hezbollah,
two long-time allies who have each fought against Israel and advocate
its destruction.
Abu Marzouk said Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah's involvement in Syria,
where Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-rooted Alawite sect, is fighting
mainly Sunni rebels, had stoked sectarian conflict.
Hamas has
denied some Lebanese media reports that its fighters were present in
Syria to train rebels in weaponry, bomb-making and tunnel digging.
On
Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised his group would keep
fighting alongside Assad's forces after it spearheaded the recapture of
the strategic town of Qusair.
Hamas's leaders in exile were once
based in Damascus but left, mainly for Egypt and Qatar, in 2012 as the
civil war escalated.
Kill the Jews now, and then we can kill each other later. What could go wrong?
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Hamas, Hezbullah, Nusra Front, Shiites v. Sunnis, Syria, Syrian uprising
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 and Hezbullah to act in their own interests and not Iran's
I couldn't find any pictures of Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah with Hamas Deputy Politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk, so I used one with Marzouk's boss - Khaled Meshaal - instead.
The Lebanese newspaper as-Safir is reporting that Nasrallah and Marzouk met on Tuesday in Lebanon to 'discuss the latest developments.' Actually, that's a bit misleading, but let's look at what the Lebanese English portal
Naharnet says about it first, and then I'll tell you what Israel Radio said about it.
The delegations tackled the latest developments in Syria, Gaza and the situation in the Arab world, in addition to the ties between Hizbullah, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The gatherers agreed with Nasrallah during the meeting that took place on Monday on formulating a plan “to resolve the developments in Syria and the relations with the Muslim Brotherhood amid the developments in the Arab World,” sources told the daily.
Concerning the developments in Syria, the source said that both sides had similar opinions as “the military option will not resolve the crisis and there would be no alternative other than implementing the political reforms.”
Nasrallah, according to the daily, informed the delegation that the Syrian leadership is keen to suggest practical solutions and to “open up” to the national opposition if it was ready to solve the crisis politically without relying foreign countries.
The two also agreed on cooperating to find the “right channels to improve Iran’s ties with the Arab countries which would be based on trust, especially with the Muslim Brotherhood,” the sources noted.
Israel Radio reports a much more interesting piece. According to Israel Radio, the two discussed what would happen in the event of a war between Israel and Iran, and agreed that they would act in their own best interests - and not necessarily in Iran's. That might mean that if their bombing Israel in response to an Israeli attack on Iran would mean that they are bombed back to the 8th century, they won't do it. Hmmm.
Labels: Hamas, Hezbullah, Iranian nuclear threat, Israeli attack on Iran
Confusion in Hamastan
Ten senior Fatah 'officials' were arrested this morning in Hamastan. They included the commander of Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen's Presidential Guard, Mohammed el-Presi, his deputy and PA National Security Organization Commander Jamal el-Qaid. A senior Fatah spokesman, a lawmaker and six other officials were also arrested. Israel Radio reported on its 11:00 AM newscast that all the 'detainees' would be tried for 'collaborating with America' but now there are reports that they will be interrogated and released and that
three of them have in fact been released.
But as you all know already, some Fatah officials were
executed. One man was thrown to his death from a rooftop by the family of a Hamas man he had killed.
Honor and revenge reign supreme in Hamastan.
But while scoffing at Abu Mazen's
firing '
moderate' 'Palestinian' Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leadership in Syria and even some of them in Hamastan are singing a different tune:
Hamas scoffed at Abbas's decision and expressed doubt that he would be able to implement it.
"How can you declare a state of emergency if you don't have a government to enforce it?" asked Hamas legislator Salah Bardaweel. "Only a government can enforce a state of emergency."
Bardaweel pointed out that in any case a new government would have to be approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council, which is still dominated by Hamas.
He said that the situation in the Gaza Strip was improving now that Hamas was in full control. "Now we can start implementing our security plan for imposing law and order," he said. "We even have no problem coordinating it with Fatah."
According to Israel Radio, Hamas's spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, rejected Abbas's announcement shortly afterward, claiming that according to Palestinian law, Abbas could not set up an emergency government.
The Syrian-based deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said Thursday night there would be no change in Gaza's status, no Islamic rule declared in Gaza and ruled out Hamas separating Gaza from the West Bank.
He said Abbas's decision to fire his Hamas prime minister would complicate matters and that Haniyeh would likely continue on the job.
"Gaza will remain Gaza and there will be no changes in its future and will continue to be linked to the West Bank whether he (Abbas) removed the government or not."
He rejected talk of declaring an Islamic state in Gaza. "This talk has no basis... We are committed to the rules and basic laws organizing the Palestinian Authority," he said.
And in Judea and Samaria, where Fatah is the dominant party, we are starting to see the
reverse of what happened in Gaza:
In the meantime, Palestinian Authority security forces, accompanied by Fatah members, have continued the wave of arrests of Hamas members in the West Bank.
According to estimates, hundreds of Hamas members have already been detained, in an operation launched in Ramallah on Wednesday, which is expected to go on for a few days, as the list of potential detainees contains some 1,500 names of Hamas activists.
In Ramallah, a PA security force on Thursday night raided a wedding of a family affiliated with Hamas and arrested about 20 guests.
But the worst news of all is that because of the violence, defenseless 'defense minister'
Amir Comrade Peretz is going to have to skip the Salon (weapons show) in Paris this week. Awww.....
'Mohammed Deif wasn't killed and we'll kill anyone who says he was'
Fox News is reporting that according to Israeli intelligence officials,
Mohammed Deif was killed in Tuesday night's airstrike on his home (or was it the rocket division commander's home?) in Sheikh Redwan.
Hamas' military chief is believed to have been killed in an airstrike
in Gaza early Wednesday, Israeli intelligence sources tell Fox News.
Israeli officials said Wednesday the country's military targeted
Mohammed Deif after militants fired rockets at Israeli cities just hours
before a temporary cease-fire was set to expire.
The Times of Israel reported that a house believed to be the home of
Deif was hit early Wednesday. Dief has escaped numerous Israeli
assassination attempts in the past. It was not immediately clear whether
he was there at the time of the attack.
In Cairo, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, said that among
those killed in the airstrike on the three-story house in Gaza City were
Deif's wife and a child. Three others in the building were also killed.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said Israel was
"unable to get to our commander Deif," saying he will "lead the army
that will enter to liberate the holy al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem.
Hamas is also
warning foreign airlines not to fly into or out of Ben Gurion Airport after 6:00 am Thursday morning.
"We are warning international airlines and press them to stop flying into Ben Gurion airport from 6 am (0300 GMT) Thursday," Al Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida stated Wednesday, in a televised speech.
The move marks yet another Hamas 'scare attempt' aimed at
harming Israel's economy and security reputation, after a rocket hit
near Ben-Gurion airport last month scared international airlines into
canceling flights for several days.
The cancelations followed a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on American carriers flying to Israel; several
European companies followed suit, as had those from Turkey and Jordan.
Israeli national carriers maintained their usual flight schedules.
Overall, however, the move was hailed as a "great victory" for the terror group.
"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory
for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said last month.
It will be interesting to see if the FAA bans flights to Israel again. Just yesterday, the instituted a ban on flights to Syria. It only took three years. But no, it's not political, is it?
Labels: Ben Gurion Airport, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Mohammed Deif, Operation Protective Edge
'Open a seaport by Friday or we start shooting again'
If Hamas actually does this, we ought to consider napalm.
Hamas is threatening to
start shooting again on Friday morning if we don't give them a seaport to import weapons. There's no way that's going to happen tomorrow - or a year from now either.
"We appeal to the Palestinian delegation to not accept a ceasefire,
unless it satisfies the demands of our people," a spokesman using the
nom-de-guerre Abu Obeida said in a televised address, adding that Hamas
fighters were "ready to return to battle."
The three-day truce ending four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas is due to end at 0500 GMT Friday.
The sides have so far failed to negotiate an agreement to extend the
truce, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of "procrastinating". But
Israel has insisted it will not give up on its key demand for the
demilitarization of Gaza in order to end any future threats against the
Jewish state.
Abu Obeida said the main demand of Hamas was the opening of a sea port for the blockaded enclave.
"We will not agree to stop the battle without a real end to the (Israeli) aggression and a real lifting of the siege," he said.
"If there is an agreement, it will be possible to extend the truce,
but if there is not, we will ask the delegation to withdraw from the
talks."
JPost adds:
Palestinian sources said that the Egyptians are hoping to persuade the two groups to agree to another 72-hour cease-fire.
According to the sources, the cease-fire discussions in Cairo have thus far failed to achieve real progress.
The sources attributed the lack of progress to Israel’s refusal to comply with the demands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including the release of West Bank Palestinians who were rearrested over the past two months and the construction of a seaport in the Gaza Strip.
The sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also rejected Israel’s demand that they be disarmed as part of a cease-fire agreement.
Representatives of the two groups reiterated Thursday their strong opposition to surrendering their weapons and threatened to resume attacks on Israel when the current cease-fire expires at 8.00am Friday.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are part of a Palestinian delegation headed by Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmed that arrived in Cairo earlier this week for talks aimed at ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
...
Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzouk dismissed the possibility that the US would provide assurances regarding any deal between Israel and the Palestinians. “The only guarantee is the weapons of the resistance,” he wrote in a posting on Facebook. “America can’t act as a guarantor since it decided on the blockade and its weapons were used for destruction.”
...
In Israel, senior security sources warned on Thursday evening that the Jewish state will respond with force if Hamas renews attacks.
The sources said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon have instructed the military to be prepared for all scenarios.
An army source added that Hamas has many reasons to want to end the current conflict, but that the army was not dismissing Hamas's belligerent declarations. "We are preparing. As an army we must take into account the possibility that at 8 am they will begin firing. We are ready for this."
By the way, the map at the top is old. It's way more than 100 rockets.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Operation Protective Edge
