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Will Hamas Be Next?
By: Khaled Abu Toameh
Published: July 10th, 2013
Hamas security stand guard near an Egyptian watch tower on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Originally published at the Gatestone Institute.
The problem is that many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still do not see Fatah as a better alternative to Hamas.
These are tough days for Hamas. After losing the military and financial support of Iran and Syria, Hamas has now lost its main allies in Egypt.
The downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt is a severe blow to Hamas, whose leaders are now studying ways of avoiding a "revolution" that could end their rule in the Gaza Strip.
But although Hamas has suffered a major setback in wake of the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, it is premature to talk about the beginning of the countdown for the collapse of the Hamas regime.
The Gaza Strip has neither an organized opposition nor an army that could assist in removing Hamas from power.
One of the biggest fears is that if Hamas is toppled, those who would replace it would not be any better. This is particularly true in light of the growing popularity of various Islamist groups operating inside the Gaza Strip, some of which are affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Hamas supporters were the first to celebrate the toppling of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and the first to take to the streets in jubilation over the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Morsi, in the general elections a year ago.
Morsi's rise to power had been seen by Hamas and other Muslims as a "divine victory": Allah's gift to his believers.
Contrary to Mubarak, Morsi's regime adopted a completely different policy toward Hamas.
While Mubarak dealt with Hamas and the Gaza Strip as a "security" issue, Morsi sought to legitimize the Palestinian Islamist movement in the eyes of the whole world.
For the first time ever, and much to the dismay of the West Bank's Palestinian Authority leaders, under Morsi, Hamas leaders became regular and welcome guests in the Egyptian presidential palace.
Morsi's rise to power emboldened Hamas in a way that allowed it further to tighten its grip on the Gaza Strip.
For Hamas, there was nothing better than having the full political backing of Egypt, the largest and most important country in the region.
During the last war between Israel and Hamas, "Operation Pillar of Defense," and much to the dismay of Fatah's Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank, Morsi dispatched Egyptian prime minister Hesham Qandil to the Gaza Strip, in an unprecedented show of solidarity with the Hamas regime.
Qandil's visit was followed by a series of mutual visits to the Gaza Strip and Egypt by Hamas and Egyptian cabinet ministers and top officials.
Although Hamas leaders have publicly played down the significance of the Egyptian coup, reports from the Gaza Strip suggest that some leaders of the Islamist movement are already nervous.
According to one report, the new rulers of Egypt have issued an order banning all Hamas leaders from entering their country.
Another report said that Egyptian security authorities have arrested several Hamas members based in Cairo and Sinai on charges of involvement in terror attacks against Egyptians.
Hamas leaders who tried to contact senior Egyptian government officials over the past few days said their phone calls were being totally ignored.
The crisis in Egypt also seems to be have had a negative impact on the day-to-day lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: there seems to be a severe shortage of petrol, natural gas and basic goods as a result of severe restrictions imposed by the Egyptian authorities along their shared border.
Palestinian Authority officials and other Palestinians are now hoping that the latest revolution in Egypt will accelerate or facilitate the overthrow of the Hamas regime. Some Palestinian Authority representatives have even called on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to learn from the Egyptian model and rise up against Hamas.
The new rulers of Egypt may even turn out to be extremely hostile to Hamas, especially in light of claims that Hamas members had been dispatched to Cairo and other Egyptian cities to help Morsi supporters crush the opposition.
But does all this mean that the countdown for Hamas's collapse has begun? Not necessarily.
Unlike Egypt, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do not have an army that could come to the rescue. Also, Fatah's supporters in the Gaza Strip do not have enough weapons to launch an Egyptian-style coup against Hamas.
About the Author: Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim, is a veteran award-winning journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for nearly three decades.
© 2013 The Jewish Press. All rights reserved.
Printed from: The Jewish Press » » Will Hamas Be Next?
Interesting piece:
Will Hamas Be Next?
By: Khaled Abu Toameh
Published: July 10th, 2013
Hamas security stand guard near an Egyptian watch tower on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Originally published at the Gatestone Institute.
The problem is that many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still do not see Fatah as a better alternative to Hamas.
These are tough days for Hamas. After losing the military and financial support of Iran and Syria, Hamas has now lost its main allies in Egypt.
The downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt is a severe blow to Hamas, whose leaders are now studying ways of avoiding a "revolution" that could end their rule in the Gaza Strip.
But although Hamas has suffered a major setback in wake of the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, it is premature to talk about the beginning of the countdown for the collapse of the Hamas regime.
The Gaza Strip has neither an organized opposition nor an army that could assist in removing Hamas from power.
One of the biggest fears is that if Hamas is toppled, those who would replace it would not be any better. This is particularly true in light of the growing popularity of various Islamist groups operating inside the Gaza Strip, some of which are affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Hamas supporters were the first to celebrate the toppling of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and the first to take to the streets in jubilation over the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Morsi, in the general elections a year ago.
Morsi's rise to power had been seen by Hamas and other Muslims as a "divine victory": Allah's gift to his believers.
Contrary to Mubarak, Morsi's regime adopted a completely different policy toward Hamas.
While Mubarak dealt with Hamas and the Gaza Strip as a "security" issue, Morsi sought to legitimize the Palestinian Islamist movement in the eyes of the whole world.
For the first time ever, and much to the dismay of the West Bank's Palestinian Authority leaders, under Morsi, Hamas leaders became regular and welcome guests in the Egyptian presidential palace.
Morsi's rise to power emboldened Hamas in a way that allowed it further to tighten its grip on the Gaza Strip.
For Hamas, there was nothing better than having the full political backing of Egypt, the largest and most important country in the region.
During the last war between Israel and Hamas, "Operation Pillar of Defense," and much to the dismay of Fatah's Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank, Morsi dispatched Egyptian prime minister Hesham Qandil to the Gaza Strip, in an unprecedented show of solidarity with the Hamas regime.
Qandil's visit was followed by a series of mutual visits to the Gaza Strip and Egypt by Hamas and Egyptian cabinet ministers and top officials.
Although Hamas leaders have publicly played down the significance of the Egyptian coup, reports from the Gaza Strip suggest that some leaders of the Islamist movement are already nervous.
According to one report, the new rulers of Egypt have issued an order banning all Hamas leaders from entering their country.
Another report said that Egyptian security authorities have arrested several Hamas members based in Cairo and Sinai on charges of involvement in terror attacks against Egyptians.
Hamas leaders who tried to contact senior Egyptian government officials over the past few days said their phone calls were being totally ignored.
The crisis in Egypt also seems to be have had a negative impact on the day-to-day lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: there seems to be a severe shortage of petrol, natural gas and basic goods as a result of severe restrictions imposed by the Egyptian authorities along their shared border.
Palestinian Authority officials and other Palestinians are now hoping that the latest revolution in Egypt will accelerate or facilitate the overthrow of the Hamas regime. Some Palestinian Authority representatives have even called on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to learn from the Egyptian model and rise up against Hamas.
The new rulers of Egypt may even turn out to be extremely hostile to Hamas, especially in light of claims that Hamas members had been dispatched to Cairo and other Egyptian cities to help Morsi supporters crush the opposition.
But does all this mean that the countdown for Hamas's collapse has begun? Not necessarily.
Unlike Egypt, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do not have an army that could come to the rescue. Also, Fatah's supporters in the Gaza Strip do not have enough weapons to launch an Egyptian-style coup against Hamas.
About the Author: Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim, is a veteran award-winning journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for nearly three decades.
© 2013 The Jewish Press. All rights reserved.
Printed from: The Jewish Press » » Will Hamas Be Next?
I certainly think that anything that weakens Hamas is good for the prospects of peace. Does anyone disagree with that?
A united "Palestinian" leadership, in which Hamas no longer has a voice, is an absolute prerequisite to any meaningful peace talks.
Does that mean that I think that a PA lead West Bank/Gaza is prepared to make the necessary compromises to resolve things with Israel?
Absolutely not.
I believe that, at its heart, the PA thinks much in the way that Hamas does. They have merely hidden it better than Hamas, which has no qualms about openly declaring that it will never recognize Israel. If a unified leadership emerges, the PA will no longer be able to hide its true goals.
Egypt is going after Hamas in the Sinai and could possibly strike Gaza.There never has been & never will be any united Palestinians for peace with Israel. Any united Palestinian movement can only be united against Israel. There lies the worst case scenario for Israel.
A united "Palestinian" leadership, in which Hamas no longer has a voice, is an absolute prerequisite to any meaningful peace talks.
Does that mean that I think that a PA lead West Bank/Gaza is prepared to make the necessary compromises to resolve things with Israel?
Absolutely not.
I believe that, at its heart, the PA thinks much in the way that Hamas does. They have merely hidden it better than Hamas, which has no qualms about openly declaring that it will never recognize Israel. If a unified leadership emerges, the PA will no longer be able to hide its true goals.
They showed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh smiling broadly while shaking hands with the newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, against a backdrop of the pyramids. In reality, the relationship between President Morsi and Hamas - an ideological offshoot of his Muslim Brotherhood - never turned out to be as rosy as both sides might have hoped. But now the removal of the Islamist Egyptian leader from office has had a deeply damaging knock-on effect on Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza. Mr Morsi is facing accusations of collaborating with Hamas to escape from the jail where he was being held during Egypt's 2011 uprising and aiding in attacks on police officers.
The Egyptian media have also accused Hamas of being involved in the shooting of protesters close to the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in the Mokattam area of Cairo on 30 June. In recent weeks Egypt's military has largely closed the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, restricting the movements of Palestinian travellers. At the same time it has stepped up its campaign against Islamist militants in the restive Sinai region using bulldozers and dynamite to demolish smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border. The underground passages mainly operate to transfer cheap fuel and commercial goods into the Palestinian territory from Egypt but they are also used by fighters and to move weapons.
Gaza shortages
Ordinary people in Gaza have been the worst affected by the clampdown on the tunnel trade. On some nights in Gaza City, men sleep by their cars outside filling stations on mattresses awaiting the delivery of petrol from Egypt. "The number of tunnels was over 1,000. Today only a few hundred remain with the ongoing demolitions," says Abu Ziyad, a Palestinian tunnel operator. "Now the number of workers in the tunnel industry has dropped." The costs of some staple foods have risen and supplies of building materials have been hit. "The price of a tonne of cement was 400 shekels. It's gone up to 750 shekels, so it's almost doubled," says a builder, Abed Arahim Safi. "I've had to freeze most of my projects because customers refuse to pay the high prices. I also laid off some workers."
While Israel has eased restrictions on the Gaza Strip, which were tightened after Hamas came to power in 2007, it is still cheaper to bring some consumer goods from Egypt, particularly petrol, which is subsidised, and some kinds of food. Israel has only recently allowed small amounts of construction materials to be sent to Gaza for use by the private sector. Many Palestinian firms have continued to rely on Egyptian suppliers. Hamas, which raises taxes from the tunnels, has seen a large dent in its finances. Import duties were bringing the faction millions of dollars each year and paid for its 40,000 or so government workers. "The situation in Gaza does not endure any additional restrictions. We hope that the Egyptians understand the needs of the Palestinian people," senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told the BBC.
Internal problems
