Hamas moderates can't halt the slide toward Tehran
A series of failures has not just embarrassed Hamas but revealed a growing rift between Gaza and Damascus.
By Avi Issacharoff Tags: Hamas Israel newsHamas has suffered more than a little embarrassment in the past few weeks. It began with the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai and the obvious implication that a Hamas insider had aided whatever agency carried out the hit.
Next came Mosab Yusef, son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef - a founder of Hamas and one of its top men in the West Bank - who revealed in an interview with Haaretz that he had worked as a Shin Bet agent for more than a decade.
Hamas, of course, responded immediately with claims of the inevitable 'Zionist plot'. But as if to add insult to injury, on Friday Haaretz reported that Mahmoud Zahar, one of the group's leaders in the Gaza Strip, had resigned from a team negotiating the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Zahar, it appeared, had become increasingly frustrated with the extreme line favored by the organization's political leadership in Damascus and by senior military commanders like Ahmad Jabri, Nizar Awadallah and Marwan Issa.
As usual, Hamas claimed a Zionist conspiracy against the Palestinian nation - only for the German weekly Der Spiegel to publish the very next day an interview in which Zahar confirmed his departure from the talks.
Zahar predictably blamed the Israeli side for the breakdown - but this is somewhat implausible. With all respect, it is hardly likely that his exit would force a change in Israel's negotiating tactics.
To cap it all off, on Tuesday Mosab Yusef gave an interview to Christine Amanpour on CNN, listing his grievances with Hamas in agonizing detail.
Faced with all this, it is increasingly difficult for Hamas to attribute all its troubles to 'Zionist lies'.
Beyond embarrassments, it seems Hamas faces a far nastier predicament: A deep rift at the heart of the organization. Repeated attempts to dispel the rumors with claims of unity have not been enough to mask a widening split between the political leaders abroad on one side, and the government and military commanders in Gaza on the other.
Zahar's resignation is unprecedented. It is a sign that he, along with Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and MPs in Gaza and the West Bank - who together make up the group's pragmatic wing - are shocked by the radicalization of Meshal's faction in Damascus, as are the military commanders.
While the group's more pragmatic bosses are have approved an Egyptian draft for a reconciliation with Hamas' secular rival, Fatah, their comrades abroad have continually rejected a compromise, preferring instead to travel to Tehran for a show of solidarity with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
As Zahar, Haniyeh et al work to mend ties with the Arab world, especially with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, they must contend with the pictures coming out of Tehran and Damascus showing a smiling Meshal sharing a conference table with Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Zahar, a doctor by profession, has in the past few years marked himself out as one of Hamas' more restrained chiefs. Despite losing two sons to Israeli bombs aimed at him, he is seen within the group as a leader of the moderate camp. He is close to the Egyptians, supports a rapprochement with Fatah and is keen to broker a prisoner swap for Shalit - even at the expense of damage to Hamas in terms of both influence and reputation.
Two days ago Zahar gave an interview to As-Shams Radio, which broadcasts in Arabic from Nazareth. Asked whether he belonged to the 'Egyptian camp' or the 'Iranian camp', he flew into a rage. "I am not a part of that game - Tehran and Cairo are not enemies," he said.
But in the new Middle East, Tehran and Cairo are exactly that. A moderate Sunni camp, led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, is at war with an alliance of Iran Syria and Hezbollah.
In practice, Hamas has already chosen sides. There are not a few senior figures in the organization who would rather not align themselves with the "axis of evil". But Meshal and his friends in Damascus and Tehran have left them little option.
Posted by Avi Issacharoff on March 3, 2010
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Our terrorist had the capability to be a state man. State man means compromising. When did your Palie coleages compromised to be a state man. Thats the difference. Palie terrorrists had the chance to change their selves from terrorists to state man but they spoiled every chance, they choose to be terrrorists. Idiot capito Aby
"It would be nice if Israel showed some humanity towards the people under their occupation" This is the world of giving and taking. Israel has gived them the chance to live in peace in 2000, in 2005. It would be nice if they would had accepted to make peace with us, instead they had choosed to send qassam. What they had choosed was not humanity rather violence. They had choosed HAMAS not because of Israel but because of Arafat Fatahs corrupted authority. Aby
of fact in one post. Loved it!! Shalom.
A Muslim hudna or taqiyeh are just temporary lulls in the terror ,while the Islamofascist replenishes his dwindling weapons stockpile ,not so Texan/Palestine cowboy ?
How many bottles of forbidden Muslimm alchol do these Hamas turncoats want as the Geeen Prince proved that they have a price?
I wasn't aware of the Greek spelling. The other pronunciation of the Spanish version of the name is Hey-Zeus, interestingly.
What twaddle this article? Has not Israel done everything it could to defeat Hamas 'moderates' while forcing it - and Palestine - into the arms of Syria and Iran? When has Israel ever tried to promote moderation and moderate it's actions? Did not Israel respond to Hamas moderates who enforced a cease fire in Fall of 2008 with a massive attack upon Gaza in winter of the same year? Is there not a systematic series of provocations - not reported in Haaretz English online, but by the world press, for example Xinhua http://www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/middleeast.htm Israeli tanks and bulldozers regularly uproot Palestinian farms. Israel cuts off Palestinian farmers from their orchards. Israel keeps Gaza on starvation rations. And Israel does not admit what it does to itself, as it winks and nods to itself about what it is doing. Avi Issacharoff is totally deluded if he thinks the problem he deplores is not routed in Israel's rejection of moderates and support for extremists.
"Guarantee, that if we ever feel at risk, we will go crazy and suffering will be unimaginable -- everyone, and I mean everyone will feel it. The Arab world will be wiped out." Gee, that sounds familiar. Please, do tell us how you wish to go about bringing this Final Solution to the Arab problem. "More to the point..NO ISLAM for another couple of tousand years while Judaism and our Kings and Prophets to prove our FAITH unlike yours that I call A CULT." Yet another racist. Perhaps you'd like to join your comrade Joshua in the Final Solution previously alluded to, hmm?
"West Bank settlements...and then if all went well ...the Golan." Golan Heights don't belong to the Pals or Israel, but rather Syria. "because the long range plans of the Islamic world is one without an inch being of Israel in existence." Try telling that to Egypt and Jordan. The ironic thing is that many scream anti-Semite whenever something remotely critical of Israel is uttered. Yet it's alright to make stereotypical or outright racist statements about Muslims and Arabs. I love the double standard. "Perhaps, they wouldn`t have to turn to Iran if Israel showed some reason and common sense. Crazy, right?" That would make sense if Iranian leadership actually cared about the Pals. They don't have the Pals in mind. They just use them as an excuse to go about their crazy ways.
EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO GET THEMSELVES OUT OF THE FIX, THEY CANNOT. They turned to Iran, because they did not have the funds to function because of the boycott.
Maybe they can get Zahar to become a spy for Israel like the Christian kid. After all, Zahar's a doctor: he should be saving lives instead of splattering them in shreds all over the street.
Anyone who reads comment 18 by the Pal Fool can see that Dr Brnd was right. The Arabs do not want a Palestinian state: they want to destroy Israel and the Jews.
Mainly talking to the converted.The ones who need the historical narrative are the deniers who tend to follow the lies they are fed from the websites they visit and thus continue to dismiss the truth. That it has to be repeated is apt,but there are many who will undoubtedly argue against your verified points and find loop holes to subvert your assumptions calling it propaganda. They are only too pleased to ignore it and present their views contrary to yours. This happens regularely(you must have noticed?) But please continue to write,and never stop. They need to be reminded,Israel needs YOU. Thanks
Dictator Assad has no right to talk about peace. The Syrian president who abuses basic human rights and keeps his own people under his thumb while destabilizing his neighbors with terror against their civilians has no voice on the subject of peace. he is a fraud, deceiver, and an enemy to everything decent in this world. I wonder how his lovely wife feels to be married to someone with so much innocent blood on his hands?
Prounced "yesus cristus" And Issa in arabic is the equivalent.
..by people that identified themselves as Muslims,that there is no such thing as a moderate Muslim..you either are or you are'nt... Not being Muslim,I don't know..nor do I care..
There is a tremendous human cost to Palestinians people for the artifical nationalism imposed on them from the outside. Rather than an ethnic identity, as many of our naive Western commenters prefer to think (their ethnicity is"Arab"), "Palestinian" is really a specific Arab political position defined by its opposition to the existance of the state of Israel. The identity of "Palestinan" was assigned by Nasser in 1964. Had the ancestors of todays "Palestinians" been permitted to emmigrate, and re-settle, rather than to have been permanently denied citizenship by Arab states and kept in "refugee camps" supported by UN welfare, their indivudual lives would be better today.
Hey, Lynn, do you have a problem with reading comprehension? If Israel didn't treat them like rubbish, Palestinians would have never even turned to Hamas in the first place. There would be no need for Hamas. I never said to keep them in charge. Where do you even get this from????
Well, that's the thing Josh. Normally, when you lock people into a giant prison called Gaza, and cut them off from food and water, you get a very abnormal kind of rage. You also put the cart before the horse. Gaza has literally been under seige for decades and only intensified when Hamas took power. Hence rockets were fired in a vain attempt to break the seige; not necessarily a wise decision. By the way, what "Jewish expulsion" from Gaza are you talking about?? Sharon evacuated the settlers and sent them to the West Bank and Israel. That was an Israeli decision. You can cry me a river about the multi-million dollar houses these people are living in now.
Okay Mr. smart mouth. Anwser this question. Where is the Hebrew/Jewish homeland ? In fact this question is out to all Israeli / Jewish bashers.
When their own State was born in Terrorism. Such grandios names as Menachem Begin who headed up Irgun and Yitzak Shamir of Hagganah--both terrorists who threw bombs into open Markets or ordered their subordinates to do so. Your terrorists are no different than theirs. Israel---Hypocracy Central.
given that all your efforts to destroy Israel and create a Bi National State are all but Gauranteed. Well done James and keep up the good work. The Palestinian people --especially those Islamists really appreciate your efforst on their behalf. Well done indeed.
" to the indigenous people of the ME...quite the opposite....but i do understand no one wants the jews anywhere sooooooo" --- harsh statement, but totally reflective of an ignorant individual. -- Whether you're Christian or Muslim, both religions are offshoots (stemmed) from Judaism which was born in the ME. The fact that both Muslims and Christians murdered each other for centuries, and the Jews who were always caught in the middle became nomads, doesn't take away Jews right to "the holy land aka homeland". Count the amount of times Jerusalem is mentioned in the Old Testament vs. the Koran. The truth is that you despise Jews because they are 0.1% of this planet - and.... enough said.
Do not believe in your ability to solve your problems. Always trust on a miracle, a strong bully that will come to the rescue. Do not trust those speaking truth (Bashir is too honest for them by saying the Golan is enough for him to make peace with Israel). Alqays go for liars who says only justice for Pals motivates them (whether the old Hafez Assad-Soprano, Sadat, Saddam, whoever uses you and stabs you in the back). Never learn anything by past experiences, stay afoot in denying reality of live, never give up your dreams of easy solution given on a plate. Justice!
'Sorry MV you are being too optimistic.' I'm 95% sure you're right, James. But if there really is internal dissention going on inside Hamas, why not at least attempt to explore it further? Kind regards. MV
Issa is a transliteration of the Hispanic name Jesus (pronounced hey-zoose). Darrell Issa is a Lebanese American. The name just indicates that somebody important in the family history was Christian and choose that as the family name.
Yeah, and all the Arab countries are clamoring to help "Palestinians," what with refugee camps and not allowing them work...or citizenship.
"can only exist after the zio-state is gone...." well then, you can forget about ever having a state of your own. But that's never what you wanted int the first place, is it? You want Israel - this beautiful countreis that has flourished in the past 60+ years due to hard work, innovation, ambition and the will to live. If noone wants the Jews why is Israel become a hub of international business - not only hi-tech, but international brands like the Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf-Astoria, Ben And Jerry's, Ikea, etc are all investing in Israel, building hotels, production companies and stores (the biggest Ikea in the mideast due to open next month, its second store in this tiny country). But you are too dumb, ignorant and hate-filled to fathom the connection between your death wish and the state of the PAletinians today compared to Israel. We are the indigenous people and certainly don't have to ingratiate ourselves to the likes of you, poor sod!
do you mean those Hamas West Bank MPs that were rounded up and jailed shortly after forming the democratically elected Palestinian government back in 2006? - that after the Americans insisted upon Hamas participation in the election it must be recalled. Must be something like that because I haven't seen neither hide nor hair of this new entity, the Hamas "Moderate". Really it's beyond pathetic to observe the lengths to which Israeli "thinkers" are willing to go in producing such self-serving/self-fufilling fantastic polemics! I mean, Wow!
The fact that Zahar decided to resign is a load of liking to a PRIMA DONNA at a theatre play. There are no moderates over in that DEN OF THIEVES.THAT I why no world nation accepts them as LIGITIMATE.Just a bunch of Islamofascists that follow THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD,and their charter. They and Israel will not communicate with them. And I hope my Govt' never sinks so low as to even give it credit,or mention it. Sorry MV you are being too optimistic.
i.e the nomeclature acquired only since 1962/63 How can you fault Dr.L.Brnd's response? He,unlike you,is providing proof,you who think you have a right.What right will that be? And I should stop the nonsense of Zios. Jedaism &Zionism has been equal for thousands of years. More to the point..NO ISLAM for another couple of tousand years while Judaism and our Kings and Prophets to prove our FAITH unlike yours that I call A CULT. Which that leaves you where? You've got it. In LIMBO. To you this as usual is an excuse not to be accepted? Then tough luck,if truth hurts then sorry YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT.
The Hamas leaders in Damascus do not risk their lives or well-being for their stance against Israel. It's good to know there are moderates in Hamas, who should ignore the cowards too afraid to live in Gaza. I'm sure it was noticed that Hillary Clinton warned Hizbollah to watch its step with Israel. We may yet see a US battleship off the coast of Lebanon.
can only exist after the zio-state is gone....and lets face it you zio's have done nothing to ingraciate yourselves to the indigenous people of the ME...quite the opposite....but i do understand no one wants the jews anywhere sooooooo
Nobody looking at last 65+ years of history can possibly conclude that "Palestine Arabs" are a people, passionately seeking independence and democratic freedom. No Arab independence groups before 1947 UN Partition. Rejected 1947 plan because they didn't want the Jews to also have a state. Never once tried to seek independence from Trans-Jordan occupiers. When Israel took over from Jordan, Egypt in 1967, first thing out of PLO's mouth was "no recognition, no negotiation, no peace". 25 more failed years of hijacking, Olympic massacres, airline bombings, international terrorism. As soon as the ink was dry on "Oslo" - what to they do - launch a wave of suicide attacks and bus bombings. And now we see they can't move on talks without Arab League approval or agreement from some guy in Damascus. Did Ben Gurion need anybody's outside approval? Did Jomo Kenyatta, Did Mao or Garibaldi or Simon Bolivar or George Washington?? "Palestinian" independence is a fraud, a joke. They aren't interested.
he was fed up with israheli foot dragging.....as far as moderates and radicals look to your own...as far as cairo and iran keep dreaming....if one is attacked or attacks so will the other...the jews in the ME are still the odd man out....last in first out
I am leery of calling any Hamas member a 'moderate' - but Messers Zahar and Haniyeh are the fellows daily faced with the very real challenges of rebuilding and running the 'nation' of Gaza. They are the ones who successes and failures ride directly upon their camp's relationships with Egypt and Israel. They seem to understand this, and its certainly would incline them toward pragmatism, if not outright moderation. There may be, then, an opportunity for Israel, Egypt, and Hamas' Gaza camp to take advantage of this inclination: Hamas 'moderates' would be able to demonstrate the benefits of their moderation to both their public and to the extremists in Damascus; Israel and Egypt would succeed in splitting the Hamas movement further. One wonders if secret tripartite talks are not already underway.
And here comes Jane with high hopes NOT! If she believes in Hamas's change of heart by this latest...what can I say to her? WISHING WILL NOT MAKE IT SO EVER. Jane if you put your trust on any of the ones you have mentioned I say:PIGS MIGHT FLY
There are no options. Peace is not the answer when those demanding 'peace' don't even know what the questions are. One thing for sure, 'peace' will not come from Israel doing something to appease the Arabs.
Hamas moderates.Sounds like a good terrorist,or maybe a merciful murderer.common Avi.There is no such thing as Hamas moderates.
So i guess that the reason for Muslims hate of the US is the lack of humanity towards the people under their occupation in Afghanistan, and Iraq,and i wonder why Chavez turn to Iran.Maybe if the US showed some reason and common sense.As crazy,right? Or maybe the real reason is that some people don't need a reason for terror,maybe they are just sheer evil.
in charge, like Meshal, then breaking the impasse. It's not exactly racist to wish people to start thinking for themselves. Pals are kneedeep in corrupt government and you push a racist card. Smart, not.
First off, you call it racist, but the Arabs (mostly) just think differently. So much of the trouble stems from the fact that they don't give a f*ck about the current generation, or the next few... Hence, mindless violence answers Israeli concessions with missiles and terror (the violence from Gaza after the Jewish expulsion is unforgivable to most Israelis, and completely crushed the once formidable Israeli left). So there is no desire for peace it is clear, and the Arabs believe that they will win this thing in a few generations more... In the meantime, more Arabs and less Jews will die, until the round is reached where things will be decisive. Guarantee, that if we ever feel at risk, we will go crazy and suffering will be unimaginable -- everyone, and I mean everyone will feel it. The Arab world will be wiped out. The collective weeping coming from the US, Europe, Australia, and the Arabs over the early demise of a weapons smuggler in Dubai was yet another sobering experience
why Hamas in Gaza lets Meshal, who lives in comfort in Damascus, destroy their lives? It makes no sense to keep on this path.
It seems like there might be room to talk with SOME of Hamas's leaders about resolving the impass on Shalit and other Israeli-Hamas problems. I hope Israel has sense enough to take advantage of the rift to achieve its goal of freeing Shalit and maybe even more... Put a fork in Hamas because it seems to be done. Good time to talk to them.
Wow! I'm always shocked by the level of racism on this site. Palestinians are incapable of thinking and reason and are "slaves to their own mindlesness". That's a quote for the ages. It would be nice if Israel showed some humanity towards the people under their occupation. Perhaps, they wouldn't have to turn to Iran if Israel showed some reason and common sense. Crazy, right?
but only for the terminally hopeful and unrealistic.
When Gaza was returned to the Palestinians they should have kept a low profile and built up Gaza into a model state. This would have put tremendous pressure on Israel by the left and other countries to do the next move. West Bank settlements...and then if all went well ...the Golan. But as the Gaza scenario went from bad to worse it really showed the true intentions of the Arab/moslem leadership mind. The recent meetings with those leaders and their hard core stance proves to me and I hope many others here including the daily Israeli bashers that Israel needs to go about their own lives. If it means securing more of the West Bank for themselves then so be it...because the long range plans of the Islamic world is one without an inch being of Israel in existence. That is the reality on the ground. Sorry folks...it is what it is.
Is this, eh, a joke? Al Zahar is a moderate? Oh my...
Are Marwan Issa Hamas a leader and Darren Issa (US congressman from Califirnia) related? It isn't a mere coincidence that both are vehementli anti Israel, Pro iran against airport screening. It explains why Darrel is a staunch defender of the muslim network of money laundering funders of terror organizations such as AlQada, Hizballah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Taliban, and hundreds more like them
If the Palestinians think that life with Israel is difficult because of their inability to accept a common sense approach to life, they should open their eyes to life being a living hell under Iranian rule. If only they could think. If only they had minds that worked. If only their eyes were visionary. But they are simply slaves to their own mindlessness.