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March 25, 2014
Daily summary - Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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Main News
KUWAIT SUMMIT EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN ONE DAY AMID CONSENSUS AROUND VARIOUS FILES; INDEPENDENT FIGURES URGE SUMMIT TO PRESSURE FOR ENDING THE DIVISION
An Arab diplomat predicted that the Kuwait summit would continue its proceedings today without the need to extend the summit for a second day, saying that: “We don’t expect any surprises; we expect the summit to end smoothly today instead of it continuing for two day. Arab leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas attended the summit in Kuwait after the foreign minister meeting ended yesterday. While the FM meeting ended without any glitches, inside sources did say that the climate inside between Gulf states was not ‘comfortable,” but added that these states said they would rather solve their issues within their Gulf circle. The participants were also in agreement over the Palestinian issue, namely in terms of the Palestinian refugees in Syria and the Palestinian decision to remain neutral in the conflict. (Al Ayyam)
Meanwhile, a group of independent Palestinian figures in the West Bank, Gaza and the Diaspora, sent a number of letters to the Arab foreign ministers ahead of the Kuwait summit today, urging them to pressure Palestinian parties to achieve reconciliation and end the political split. The group of independents also reaffirmed that Arab countries must work to end the suffering of the Palestinian people resulting from the defunct reconciliation process, adding that the circumstances of some Arab countries did not have to be an obstacle to ending the division, which would pave the way for stability in the region. The group also called for helping to end the suffering of Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk camp in Syria and ensure that food and medicine reaches them. (Al Quds)
MALKI: WASHINGTON LOWERED ITS CEILING OF EXPECTATIONS FOR A PEACE DEAL TO AN UNBINDING FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
According to minister for foreign affairs Riyad Al Malki to the Saudi-based “Al Sharq al Awsat”, Washington has lowered its ceiling of expectations in terms of an agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis. He said that the leadership was still waiting for the peace agreement to which Secretary John Kerry indicated before the start of negotiations, but said that the Americans had lowered their ceiling of expectations. “They went from a peace deal to a framework agreement, which they referred to as binding. Now they are talking about the same framework agreement but said it was not binding and that the parties would be allowed to offer their comments on it,” he said.
Malki also said Abbas would brief Arab leaders during the Kuwait summit on the results of his visit to Washington and would meet with Arab foreign ministers to discuss the matter. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=684464)
LETTER FROM ISRAELI PEACE ACTIVISTS TO THE KUWAIT SUMMIT IN SUPPORT OF THE ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE
Palestinian and Israeli peace activists sent a letter to the Arab summit in Kuwait today in support of the Arab Peace Initiative, stressing in a meeting held yesterday in West Jerusalem, which foreign diplomats and ambassadors attended, on the importance of reviving the Arab initiative in order for peace to prevail between Palestine and Israel on the one hand, and with the Arab and Islamic countries on the other. Member of Fatah’s central committee and head of the communications committee with the Israeli society, Mohammed Madani, “There can be no peace with the occupation,” saying that peace was still far off. He also said that the Israeli government continued to stall in the peace process in order to impose more facts on the ground and to make the two state solution ‘impossible.’ He continued, however, that signing a peace deal with the Palestinians would prompt 57 Arab and Islamic countries to recognize Israel, saying there was nothing to justify Israel’s intransigence and stubbornness in imposing unacceptable conditions. Madani went on to reiterate that the leadership would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state, explaining that it already recognized Israel in 1988. “It’s Jewish character is an internal Israeli matter,” he said, adding that the demand to recognize it as Jewish was just an excuse to hinder a political solution. (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS WITH NO LEGAL STATUS IN ISRAEL ALLOWED TO BUY ISRAELI HEALTH INSURANCE
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz yesterday, Israel has, for the first time, decided to allow people without legal status in Israel to buy Israeli health insurance and to gain access to all health services. Mainly, this involves Palestinians who have been allowed to remain in Israel within the context of family reunification with their spouses, including their children. Bearers of foreign citizenships who are in the process of obtaining Israeli citizenship are also eligible. According to initial estimates, this will include between 8,000-20,000 people. The decision will go into effect as of May 1 and will cost NIS285 a month per individual with a maximum cost for families of NIS570. (Al Quds)
ST. EVE CALLS ON ISRAEL NOT TO EXTEND LAW SUSPENDING FAMILY REUNIFICATION FOR PALESTINIANS IN JERUSALEM
The Catholic center for human rights, St. Eve, called on Israeli interior minister Gedeon Saar yesterday not to renew the law suspending family reunification for Palestinian families, saying it violates the rights of thousands of families, especially in East Jerusalem. The law is expected to be extended within the next few days in accordance with court order number 1465, which calls for extending the law another year after receiving Knesset approval. In its letter, St. Eve told Saar that the law, which was ratified in 2003 and which froze all applications of family reunification for families in the West Bank and Gaza has resulted in thousands of Palestinian families who have been displaced and separated and which has made it almost impossible for the members of the same family to live under one roof. The law has been renewed seven times, with the eighth time on the way. The center said that if the law was extended, it would file an appeal with the Israeli High Court against its illegality. (Al Quds)
ISRAEL BEGINS BUILDING THE ‘NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES COMPLEX’ OVER 20 DUNAMS AT A COST OF $100 MILLION
The Aqsa Institute for Waqf and Heritage said yesterday in a report that Israel had begun to build the largest Judaization project in Jerusalem, which is called the “National antiquities complex”. The report said the complex would be built over an area of around 20 dumans of land with a construction area of 35,000 square meters. The complex will include several centers including a ‘archeological library’, an archive and an office for the Israeli artifacts authority in addition to huge antiquities storage rooms. The center will be built in West Jerusalem in an area known as ‘museum hill’ near the Givat Ram branch of the Hebrew University and near the model of the alleged Temple, near the Knesset. The cost of the project has been estimated at $100 million, with its funders saying that it is the biggest project for ‘the archeology and history of the land of Israel.” According to the institute, the project is aimed at fabricating the history of Jerusalem by giving a false Jewish history in the country, adding that building the center in Jerusalem has important ramifications in that Israel wants to impose the “Jewish character of Jerusalem and the state” through it. (Al Quds)
FOUR PALESTINIANS KILLED IN YARMOUK AFTER BEING SHOT BY ARMED GROUPS
Four Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk camp were killed yesterday and dozens of others injured after armed groups fired mortars into the crowds during the distribution of food baskets in the center of the camp. According to Anwar Raja from the PFLP-General Command, armed groups inside the camp fired bullets and mortars at the people as they waited to receive their packages. Armed groups, namely Al Nusra and Da’aesh returned to the camp weeks ago and have refused all agreements signed by the 14 factions and Palestinian armed groups to end the crisis in the camp (Al Quds)
ISRAELI POLICE ARREST TWO CELLS IN NABLUS AND RAMALLAH; ONE CITIZENARRESTED FROM BEIT HANINA
Radio Israel said yesterday that the Israeli Shabak had announced the arrest of a cell belonging to the PFLP who had opened fire two and a half months ago on an Israeli car near the settlement of Kidumim in Nablus. The shooting did not cause any injuries but did damage the car. The Shabak also said the cell had carried out a similar operation a month and a half ago where they opened fire at an Israeli army post near the town of Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, also without causing any injuries.
In related news, an Israeli army patrol car was shot at while passing near the border with Egypt north of the Nitsana crossing in the Gaza Strip. No soldiers were injured. Also yesterday, Israeli police arrested a resident of Beit Hanina on charges that he tried to smuggle a mobile phone to a prisoner who had been taken to hospital for medical tests in Askalan. The phones were found in the hospital bathroom. The radio also claimed that teargas canisters were also found in the car transporting the prisoner (Al Quds)
According to Al Ayyam, the second cell of PFLP members is based in Birzeit and included Fadi Washaha, who they say admitted to shooting at the army and throwing a stun grenade at an army post on February 25 along with Mutaz Washaha who was later assassinated. (Al Ayyam)
UNDERCOVER ISRAELI FORCES ABDUCT SIX YOUTHS FROM AYDAH CAMP
Israeli army undercover forces abducted last night six youths from the Aydah refugee camp north of Bethlehem. One young man was shot and injured in the foot. Confrontations have been ongoing in the camp for the past three days.The Israeli army raid on the camp comes after Palestinian youths tried to burn down an Israeli army watchtower. (http://www.qudsnet.com/news/View/269679)
According to a security source to WAFA, special forces raided the camp, kidnapping 24-year old Basem Abu Kheir. According to the residents, a large army force arrived earlier, surrounding the area and preventing residents from leaving their homes. The soldiers also pointed their guns at residents who stuck their heads of out the window, screaming anti-occupation slogans. Several other youths were also detained in the raid (Al Ayyam)
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO VOTE ON RESOLUTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL INCLUDING BOYCOTT AND SANCTIONS
The UN Human Rights Council is to vote on Thursday and Friday on five resolutions against Israel, one of which calls for encouraging a boycott of Israel and withdrawing investments from settlements. According to Haaretz, because of the strike in the Israeli foreign ministry, no attempts will be made to halt or at least soften the wording of the resolutions. Israel is concerned about the resolutions, saying they have taken on a “BDS’ nature, calling for the boycott of Israel, the imposition of sanctions and withdrawing investments from it. The draft resolution calls on all member states to abide by UN principles in terms of the illegality of settlements and to take the appropriate steps to ensure that all members do not do anything to breach these understandings or support settlements. (Al Ayyam)
ISRAELI ARMY ARRESTS ONE, INJURES ANOTHER DUIRNG ATTEMP TO CLIMB OVER FENCE AT EGYPTIAN BORDER; ISRAELI TANKS SHOOT SHELLS IN GAZA WHILE PLANES CARRY OUT MOCK RAIDS
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth yesterday, the Israeli army opened fire at two people they said were trying to climb over the security fence at the Israeli-Egyptian border. One of the two people succeeded in crossing from Sinai into Israel but was then arrested while the other person was shot and lightly wounded and was able to escape back into Sinai. (Al Ayyam)
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation tanks shot a shell towards residents close to the border east of Gaza City while another tank shell was fired at Palestinian land east of Beit Lahiya. Furthermore, F-16 fighter planes continued to fly over Gaza, carrying out mock raids. Residents said they heard loud explosions, resulting from the mock raids but then saw the planes flying at a low height (Al Ayyam)
MAJORITY OF CITIZENS SUPPORT EXTENTION OF NEGOTIATIONS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RELEASE OF MORE PRISONERS
According to a public opinion poll released by the Palestinian center for political and survey research in Ramallah, more than three-fourths of the people polled believe that President Abbas will agree to extend the negotiations until the end of the year.While 55% of those polled said they opposed any extension of the negotiations and 42% saying they agreed, the percentage of those in favor rose to 51% on condition that the extension was in exchange for a partial settlement freeze. The percentage of approval went up even higher – to 65%, if the extension was in exchange for the release of more prisoners other than the fourth batch expected to be released at the end of the month. 62% of those polled opposed any recognition of Israel as Jewish state as part of the US-brokered framework agreement (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
70% OF ISRAELIS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ABBAS IS A’ REAL’ PARTNER FOR PEACE
A public opinion poll conducted in Israel by the Medgam institute has shown that nearly 70% of Israelis do not believe that President Abbas is a real partner for peace. It also showed that 61% of Israelis oppose a complete withdrawal from the West Bank in a settlement with the PA, with only 39% believing there should be a complete withdrawal in exchange for peace. 30% of those polled said they believed Abbas really was a partner for peace. (http://www.alquds.co.uk/?p=147413)
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Headlines
*Silvan Shalom accused of sexual harassment (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Hamdallah: the government will cover the entire cost of rebuilding martyr Washaha’s home (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*police resolve puzzle of a murder in Al Ram and arrest the culprit (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*The President values the efforts of Saudi crown prince in serving the Palestinian cause (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Israeli army raises level of alert in West Bank in anticipation of more confrontations (Al Ayyam)
*Carter supports putting special stickers on settlement products (Al Ayyam)
*Settlers puncture tires of 45 cars in occupied Jerusalem (Al Ayyam)
*Cairo: death sentences handed down to more than 500 pro-Mursi supporters (Al Ayyam)
*Pillay: settlements and settler attacks are main source of human rights violations in occupied territories (Al Quds)
*President receives phone call from Kerry during his meeting with Indyk (Al Quds)
*Jenin governor denies preventing PA representatives and security chiefs from offering condolences to martyrs’ families (Al Quds)
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Front Page Photos
Al- Quds:Jerusalem: citizens stand near their cars which price tag settlers punctured in Beit Hanina
Al-Ayyam: 1) Bethlehem: two soldiers guard a settler during renovations to the wall after Palestinian demonstrators put a hole in it near Aydeh camp; 2) Jerusalem: a citizenfixes his tires after price tag settlers punctured car tires in Beit Hanina; 3) Cairo: families of pro-Mursi supporters sit outside the courthouse
Al Hayat Al Jadida:. 1) Israeli soldiers passes a bus in Bet Hanina on which the words “pagans are the enemies of this earth” are written in Hebrew; 2) youths move an injured man in Aydeh camp; 3) Kuwaiti prince receives the President upon his arrival in Kuwait; 4) Hamdallah, during his meeting with the Washaha family and Birzeit municipality representatives
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Voice of Palestine News
Jerusalem: The Israeli magistrate court released last night head of the Prisoners’ Club in Jerusalem, Nasser Qous and member of the prisoner families’ committee, Ala’ Haddad along with two other men who were arrested on Saturday. The court order stipulates that the four men are barred for 60 days from the Damascus Gate area along with fines.
Settlers continued to break into the Aqsa Mosque yesterday; Israeli police released the extremist Jew who had sent out a small plane towards the Aqsa which took pictures of the mosque and grounds.
Nablus: There has been an escalation in settler attacks in the area. Yesterday, a citizen was attacked and Palestinian cars pelted with stones. Settler attacks took place in Burin, with checkpoints being set up at the entrance to the city. One citizen was wounded in the chest by a rock thrown by settlers. Cars were damaged as well.
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Voice of Palestine Interviews
**Maps expert Khalil Tukaji, on Israel’s plans to build an archeological center in Jerusalem
Q: What is the goal of this plan?
This plan is in West Jerusalem and is part of a clear Israeli policy, which is aimed at planting part of Jewish history in this area with the consideration that Jerusalem – both its western and eastern sectors – is the Jewish capital. Israel also wants to brainwash on a large scale, not just the Israelis but internationally, so that in the future, international public opinion will be in favor of Israel. On this basis, Israel began establishing museums, not just in West Jerusalem but also in the East. it is a very clear strategic role.
Q: If this shows anything, it shows that Israel still rejects the idea of East Jerusalem being the capital of a Palestinian state. So, is this their message?
It is a message, but first of all, Israel never thinks of any kind of message in terms of East Jerusalem being the capital of any Palestinian state. They talk about a unified Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. Also they have a program for Jerusalem 2020 which involves building new settlements, expanding old settlements and building 50,000 housing units in them. Even bigger than this, they put Jerusalem as a government preference, which means all of their settlement activities fall within this category.
Q: We heard that Israel might announce the construction of new settlement units in Jerusalem and the West Bank if the fourth batch of prisoners is released. Where would these units be built?
First of all, these are not Israeli knee-jerk reactions, that is whether the prisoners are released or not. There are clear programs in place, which is to build 58,000 housing units in settlements in Jerusalem by 2020 and anything announced now and then is within this framework. In the West Bank there are two projects: one in the large settlement blocs, which are being expanded; the second are in areas on hilltops and in the Jordan Valley, to impose realities on the ground.
**Head of the Water Authority Shaddad Attili, on the water crisis in Palestine
Q: Last week it rained quite a bit but there is still a water crisis, right?
Yes, it did rain, but we don’t get to take so much joy in it because the Israelis have complete control over these sources. We are not allowed to dig wells or make dams, or transfer water. It is an ongoing crisis as long as Israel controls this sector. Yesterday there was a children’s march and they handed a letter to the UN to reach its chief Ban Ki Moon, confirming UN resolutions which call for the right of people to water. As an occupied people, we have this right, which we are denied. We have no access to ground water, in Gaza we have no access to clean water, etc. We hope to get a response, but we are not waiting for one soon. It will come though, in the form of the World Bank, the UN etc. And we will continue to make ourselves heard, demanding our rights.
**PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo, on the Israeli opposition request to Netanyahu to offer a temporary freeze in settlements instead of a release of prisoners
Q: What do you say about this new request from the Israeli opposition?
There is no link between the continuation of negotiations and the release of fourth group of prisoners according to our agreement. Any link between the two is very harmful to Palestinian national interests. Now, Israel is linking the continuation of negotiations with the prisoners’ release, which is very dangerous. There is no link between them and we cannot accept any link to be established. So any attempt to create this link will lead to disastrous results for us Palestinians, because Israel will continue its policy of extortion and will continue it settlement expansion and pressure on us politically. And if the negotiations continue, they will be sharply criticized because they may go on for an indefinite period of time.
Q: What do you think about this new Israeli plan for population transfer inside the Green Line?
They are talking about transferring Palestinians from their original villages and homeland – this is racist. They make it sound like transferring these Palestinians is merely an administrative measures. In exchange, before this happens, I would like to suggest that Mr. Lieberman is returned from whence he came. This would be easier and could help with the solution with Israel. All racists, Lieberman, should be transferred out of this place. The mere fact that he said these words, made these proposals, should prompt his punishment by international human rights organizations.
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More Headlines
Martyrs’ families in Jenin camp refuse condolences from PA leaders
The families of martyrs in the Jenin camp refused to allow senior officials and representatives of President Abbas and PM Hamdallah to participate in the condolences for their sons, refusing to receive them in protest of the security coordination with the Israeli occupation. Local sources said Jenin governor Talal Dweikat asked permission to participate in the mourning procedures but was told by the families that he was not welcomed. Furthermore, no PA official participated in the funeral processions because the people of the camp refused. According to local sources, the families turned back agriculture minister Waleed Assaf, who came with a letter of condolence from Hamdallah, saying they would not accept his presence as an official PA representative. The families also refused to take the letter from President Abbas. The residents of the camp were angry at the pursuit of martyr Hamzeh Abul Hayja’ by Palestinian security services recently and also at the repercussions of the security campaign carried out by the security services in Jenin camp a few months ago. (http://safa.ps/details/news/125276.html)
Hamdallah: the government will cover all expenses for rebuilding martyr Washaha’s house
Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah mandated the relevant parties yesterday including the ministry of public works and housing and the finance ministry to begin taking the necessary measures to rebuild the home of martyr Mutaz Washaha, and other homes damaged in the town of Birzeit north of Ramallah. The announcement was made yesterday when Hamdallah received the family of martyr Washaha in addition to a number of Birzeit municipality representatives (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
Carter supports placing distinctive stickers on settlement products
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth on its website last night, former US President Jimmy Carter said that while he does not support a campaign to impose an international boycott of Israel, he does support placing distinctive stickers on products imported from West Bank settlements. Carter said during a meeting which several former American officials attended that they agreed not to support any boycott or sanctions on Israel. (Al Ayyam)
Qatari Prince: the siege on Gaza is no longer acceptable
Qatari Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad called on the Arabs to work towards ending the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, which has continued for more than eight years and to reopen the crossings to allow Gazans to exercise their everyday life. Tamim made his statements during the opening session of the Arab summit in Kuwait today, saying that the siege was ‘unacceptable and had no political or moral justification.” He also called on Palestinian leaders to end the political split and achieve reconciliation by forming a transitional government, saying that his country was willing to host a summit to push forward Palestinian reconciliation. (http://safa.ps/details/news/125279/html)
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Arab Press
Abbas versus Dahlan: The showdown begins
By RAMZY BAROUD
WHEN Israeli soldiers confined late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mohammed Dahlan reigned supreme. As perhaps the most powerful and effective member of the “Gang of Five,” he managed the affairs of the ruling Fatah movement, coordinated with Israel regarding matters of security, and even wheeled and dealed in issues of regional and international affairs.
That was the period between March and April 2002 and it was a different time. Back then Dahlan — a former Palestinian Authority (PA) minister, a former National Security adviser and a former head of Gaza’s PA Preventative Security Service (PSS) — was king of the hill. All of his rivals were conveniently or by chance out of the picture. Arafat was then imprisoned in his office in Al-Muqata’a, and Dahlan’s toughest contender, Jibril Rajoub, leader of the West Bank PSS, was discredited in a most humiliating fashion. During the most violent Israeli crackdown of the Second Palestinian Intifada (2000-2005), Rajoub handed the PSS headquarters to the Israeli army with all of its Palestinian political prisoners and walked away. Since then, Rajoub’s star faded into a dark chapter of Palestinian history. For Dahlan, however, it was yet a new start.
This is not exactly the kind of history the Fatah leadership, Dahlan included, would like to remember. Such history is simply too dangerous as it underscores the reality that engulfed, and to a large degree, continues to shape the ruling class of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah whose reach has touched upon every aspect of Palestinian life.
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The second uprising, starting in Sep. 2000, unlike the first Intifada of 1987, resulted in much harm. The latter revolution seemed to lack unity of purpose, was more militarized, and allowed Israel to rearrange the post-Intifada and post-Arafat political scene in such a way as to privilege its trusted allies within the Palestinian camp.
Dahlan, and the current PA president Mahmoud Abbas, elected in 2005 to a five-year-term, were obviously spared the Israeli purges. Hamas, on the other hand, lost several layers of its leadership, as did the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which like other socialist groups suffered massive crackdowns and assassinations.
Even Fatah activists paid a terribly heavy price of blood and imprisonments because of the leading role they played in the Intifada. For Abbas and Dahlan, however, things were not too bad. In fact, at least for a while, the outcome of the Intifada was quite beneficial for some Palestinian leaders who were at one point relegated to minor roles. Thanks to Israeli schemes, and American pressure, they were brought back to the limelight.
12 years later both Abbas and Dahlan are still the center of attention. Abbas, 79, is an aging president of an authority that has access to funds but no real sovereignty or political leverage (aside from what Israel finds acceptable); and Dahlan, 52, is in exile in the UAE after his supporters were chased out of Gaza by Hamas in 2007, and then the West Bank by his own party in June 2011.
This occurred after he was accused of corruption and the poisoning of Arafat, on behalf of Israel, during the Israeli siege. But Dahlan, aided by some strong friends around the region — and of course, his old intelligence contacts in Israel and the US — is unmistakably plotting a comeback.
Abbas knows well that his rule is approaching a sensitive transition, and not only because of his old age. If the John Kerry peace mediation deadline of April 29 results in nothing substantial, as will most likely be the case, it would not be easy for Abbas to keep Fatah’s various competing cliques under control. And since Dahlan is sagaciously finding and manipulating gaps to reassert his relevance in a political milieu that continues to reject him, Abbas is lashing out in anticipation of a possible showdown. Interestingly enough, Dahlan is answering in kind by using the generous space given to him by private Egyptian media. Fatah is in crisis once more, and, by its sheer political dominance, Palestinian political institutions in their entirety are likely to suffer.
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Yet, strangely, both Abbas and Dahlan continue to present themselves as the saviors of Palestinians, while each accuses the other of being an Israeli collaborator and an American stooge. Many Palestinians are not amused, and it has gone to the extent that Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas member, called on Abbas and Dahlan “to refrain from exchanging accusations that serve only the Israeli interests,” reported the Middle East Monitor on March 20.
Abbas’ laundry list of accusations against Dahlan (first delivered to the Fatah Revolutionary Council on March 10, then publicly two days later), included Dahlan’s role in the assassination of a top Hamas and resistance leader, Salah Shahadeh, along with his family and some of his neighbors in an Israeli airstrike in 2002. Abbas went further by suggesting a Dahlan role in the poisoning of Arafat in 2004. The PA president made a reference to “three spies” who worked for Israel and carried out high profile assassinations. Aside from Dahlan, the “spies” included Hassan Asfour, who is another member of the “Gang of Five.”
On March 16, in an interview with privately owned Egyptian Dream 2 satellite channel that lasted hours, Dahlan was granted uncontested space to articulate his political agenda as he saw fit. Dahlan called Abbas a “catastrophe” for the Palestinians. “The Palestinian people can no longer bear a catastrophe like Mahmoud Abbas. Since the day he came to power, tragedies have struck the Palestinian people. I may be one of the people who bear the blame for bringing this catastrophe upon the Palestinian people.”
The saga continues with all of its unpleasant details. Fatah supporters who are neither loyal to Abbas nor Dahlan, know well that there movement must fight for and reclaim its revolutionary identity, the very reason behind its existence in the first place.(http://www.arabnews.com/news/545511)
Another Arab summit that is doomed to fail
By Gulf News
Arab summits were previously dominated by lip-service condemnation of the external threats faced by the Arab people. But even those external threats did not achieve for the Arabs the unity that the Arab League sought. Now, the most grave threats faced by the Arabs and their unity are perhaps those that come from within — whether they are within individual Arab states or from neighbouring states that conspire against them.
It is no surprise then that the attendance at such summits has remained confined to low-level delegations. It is an expression of a realisation that such summits are little more than talking shops repeating template rhetoric about the Arab unity that never was — and likely will never be until the Arabs set their priorities straight.
The issue of Palestine, without a doubt the issue that is central to the Arab cause, has been sitting at the table for more than six decades as the rights of Palestinians are trampled on and the sanctity of Al Aqsa is violated on a daily basis by a regime that is the closest ally of the Arabs’ closest ally.
The civil war in Syria, which has become a tool of rivalry for the very Arab states that will sit under one roof today to repeat the slogans of unity, has claimed more than 140,000 lives with no end in sight. That country, together with Lebanon and Iraq, are being swept away by a dangerous tide of sectarianism that has the potential to swallow the region whole and set it back several decades in time.
If the Arabs believed that their situation could not get more hopeless, they might have just surprised themselves. And are likely to continue doing so for years to come.(http://gulfnews.com/opinions/editorials/another-arab-summit-that-is-doomed-to-fail-1.1308197)
Iran resumes monetary aid to Hamas
By Adnan Abu Amer
Gaza political circles have been wondering whether Hamas would return to the Iran axis after a break that lasted more than two years. On March 10, leading Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar, the last link between Hamas and Iran, announced steps to restore the bilateral relationship.
Al-Monitor has learned from a source close to Hamas’ political leadership that Iran is also planning to receive Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal soon, after a long tug of war marked by undisclosed shuttle discussions. The source said that Qatar was mediating with Iran to restore ties with Hamas. In late February, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah visited Tehran for that purpose.
The source added that last week, Iran gave the green light for Meshaal’s visit after contacts between Zahar and Marwan Issa, a senior leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing. This long overdue visit will culminate in Meshaal meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In his meeting with Meshaal and in his recent and first visit to Qatar, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shalah discussed the details of the upcoming visit to Tehran.
Regional developments
The resumption of relations between the two sides was announced March 10 by head of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani, who said, “Iran is supporting Hamas on the grounds that it is a resistance movement. ... Our relationship with [Hamas] is good and has returned to what it was. We have no problems with [Hamas].”
Al-Monitor surveyed a number of Hamas leaders of first and second rank at home and abroad about how they feel about a renewed relationship with Iran. In a meeting at his Gaza office, one Hamas leader told Al-Monitor, “The movement is not jumping from one lap to another, from Iran, then Egypt, then Qatar and finally back to Iran. [Hamas] has not necessarily erred. Rather, [Hamas] is in harmony with itself and with its Islamic and national liberation line. [Hamas] has sided with the will of the people, their right to freedom and [their right] to form their political system.”
The source conceded that the turn in regional events following former President Mohammed Morsi’s ouster in Egypt has hastened the progress of Iran-Hamas ties. Improvement in ties between Qatar, which is home to Meshaal, and Iran is also a key factor in Hamas’ own warming of ties with Tehran.
“Of course, the developments in the region have accelerated the return of relations between Hamas and Iran,” the source added. "Perhaps the most important [of those developments] is Hamas’ harsh break with Egypt after the coup and the tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The [tension] has helped warm the relationship between Doha and Tehran, and that has cast a shadow over Hamas in a positive way."
Youssef Rizqa, the former information minister in the Hamas government, described the relationship with Iran as stable and said that the two sides agree on many issues, most notably the conflict with Israel.
Hamas was pleased with the resumption of financial support, as it signaled that there is no veto on the movement by decision-making circles in Tehran. Furthermore, Hamas is optimistic that Meshaal’s visit will result in increasing Iran’s financial support.
The latter was confirmed by Ahmed Youssef, a former political adviser to Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh, who said that Hamas is keen to develop its relationship with Iran because the two are strategic partners and have agreed to show understanding for their respective positions on contentious issues, especially the situation in Syria.
However, the return of Hamas-Iran relations will not necessarily be lauded all of Tehran’s allies, notably Syria and Hezbollah, who do not agree about accepting Hamas back into their axis.
Reconciling with Hezbollah
A senior Palestinian figure in Lebanon sought to mediate reconciliation between Hamas and Hezbollah in conjunction with that between Hamas and Iran. In a telephone interview with Al-Monitor, he confirmed that Hezbollah claims that Hamas elements are turning a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons to Syria through Lebanon and that some Hamas elements have been discovered fighting in Syria. He also noted that some Palestinians have been involved in the bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, although this is denied by Hamas.
“The closed-door mediation efforts between Hamas and Hezbollah in Beirut has culminated in them ‘agreeing to disagree’ regarding Syria and in continuing the ‘strategic partnership,’” he noted.
This same idea was expressed by Hamas figure Salah Bardawil, who said that Hamas’ relationship with Hezbollah is good despite the differences over Syria. He also noted that efforts are being made to restore relations as beneficial to both parties.
Hamas is not limiting itself to talk of improving its relationship with Hezbollah, but has begun to send delegations to Lebanese parties to absolve Hamas of accusations that it is the main incubator of jihadist and Salafist groups in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon; this has prompted Hamas representatives to act to prove their innocence to Hezbollah. The links between the two sides are still there and neither side is thinking of cutting them, despite the complexities and differences, especially since their common ground is substantial.
Jihad Taha, a Hamas figure in Lebanon, said in a March 16 interview with Sadaaden.com that his movement is considering launching an initiative to strengthen Lebanese-Palestinian relations and prevent sectarian strife, indicating that Hamas wishes to improve its relationship with Hezbollah through a series of intensive meetings and visits with Lebanese security authorities to ensure its success.
A source close to Hamas told Al-Monitor that the return of Hamas’ relations with Tehran can be seen as part of the “card reshuffling” in the region in the last few months as a result of the changes in Egypt and Syria.
“The return of the relationship between them is now at hand, because the decision-makers in Shiite Tehran, in light of the sectarian and political polarization dominating the region, want to restore the relationship with Sunni Hamas and strengthen ties with it. Hamas, in turn, needs such a relationship at this critical stage and hopes that Meshaal’s visit will accomplish that. This will pump new support in Hamas’ arteries and help it withstand the siege, which is worsening in an unprecedented way.”(http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/iran-hamas-finance-economy-resistance-axis-gaza.html)
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