Welcome to MJVAFRICA network......Israel is worried about the recent meetings and coordination between Hamas and Fatah @Clayton Jul 10, 2020 10:06 PM Opera News Nigeria Only for Opera News fans. Follow Israel fears meetings between senior Fatah and Hamas representatives Recent indications point to an unlikely but evident newly-found cooperation between Fatah and Hamas, and this development is a source of real concern for Israel. Following the threats of the Palestinian Authority to cease security coordination with Israel’s IDF, a collaboration between Hamas and Fatah could provide Hamas the political leverage to bolster its terror activities at the Occupied West Bank in a reinvigorated bid to resist Israeli annexation. Hamas, an acronym for the Arabic that means Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The short-term goal of Hamas was to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation. The long-term aim sought to establish an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and assumed administrative control of Gaza Strip and West Bank. Both regimes - the Ramallah and Gaza government regard themselves as the sole legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority. Fatah, formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social-democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the second-largest party in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The period from March to December 2006 was marked by tensions when Palestinian Authority commanders affiliated to Fatah refused to take orders from the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. Tensions further grew between the two Palestinian factions after they failed to reach a deal to share government power. 2007 saw what is widely known as the battle of Gaza. As a result of the battle, Hamas got complete control of Gaza. The pro-Fatah view is, that it was a plain military coup by Hamas. The pro-Hamas view is, that the US drew up a plan to arm Fatah cadres to forcefully remove Hamas from power in Gaza. The West Bank is located to the west of the Jordan River. It is a landlocked territory, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel to the south, west, and north. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, is a small boot-shaped territory along the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Israel. Israel, the United States, and the European Union classify, either in whole or in part, Hamas as a terrorist organization. Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that has killed hundreds of Israeli citizens, as well as Americans, in suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. Hamas has been in a long-running battle in EU courts to remove its terrorist listing. In the latest ruling, a top EU court found Hamas could be labelled a terrorist organization. Last year, a top EU court rejected an appeal by Hamas for the bloc to delist the Palestinian group as a terrorist organization to allow it to regain access to frozen assets. The ruling went on to state that Hamas is not a sovereign state and could not rely on the principle of non-interference to annul the EU's decision. Furthermore, it ruled that Hamas had not shown that its political and armed wings are separate. An explicit cooperation between the rival groups of Hamas and Fatah seems to have been kindled by the Israeli government’s announcement to formally apply sovereignty on the West Bank and parts of Jordan. On June 15 2020, Hamas Deputy Chief Saleh Al-Arouri said Hamas is prepared to work with Fatah to face Israel’s annexation plan. In a televised interview with Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Arouri said: “We are ready to put our differences behind us and work together with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority to face the annexation plan.” So, it seems to be a case of the bigger picture, or a common enemy. The Hamas Deputy Chief went on to stress that his movement would use every means at their disposal to resist the planned annexation which was set to be brought into force on 1 July. “We have been in contact with all the Palestinian factions in order to reach a consensus on a joint national programme against the Israeli plan,” he said. While the kickoff of the Israeli sovereignty application has been delayed, Israeli government officials affirm the plan is still on course. The Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Head, Saleh Al-Arouri- who Israel fingers as the main figure behind violent and armed attacks in the West Bank- recently held an online meeting with Fatah’s Central Committee Secretary General, Jibril Rajoub. The conclave was followed by another meeting between Fatah’s official responsible for the Gaza files, Ahmed Helles, and Hama’s Head of National Relations, Husam Badran. Israel believes these meetings signal a marked end to the relative calm in the West Bank as Hamas gets the blessing of Fatah to launch resistance operations even though the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas is believed to be opposed to the return of armed conflict in the region. The recently fledging camaraderie between Hamas and Fatah is by no means an isolated event. Brotherly handshakes has passed between the two rival movements over the past decade, whether at a meeting in Cairo or at an outing in Moscow; but an explicit unity continues to elude them until now. Ordinarily, many will turn their nose up at the possibility of unification between the rival groups but Israel believes the recent challenge posed by Netanyahu’s planned annexation is very likely to be the final straw to break the camel’s back. Israeli media outlets has been on top of this development by dutifully reporting on the Fatah-Hamas reunion, especially taking note of the glaring fact that none of the parties involved in the meetings released public statements about them. To Israel, that’s a worrying sign of a cautious conclave. The irony is that Israel had actually encouraged the rival groups to meet. Israel may have encouraged talks between the leaderships of Hamas and Fatah as a reaction to the Palestinian Authority’s decision to end security coordination with the IDF, but did the Jewish state anticipate phrases such as “a common struggle in the field” to be used in those talks? Rajoub declared, “We have no enemy but Israel” and Al-Arouri seemed happy with the opportunity and called for a joint struggle in the West Bank. All the same, Middle East analysts believe that Mahmoud Abbas is most likely to be staunchly opposed to have Hamas site its green flags in every nook and cranny of the occupied territories and the resumption armed struggles in the West Bank. More so, an unhindered coalition government between Hamas and Fatah is far-fetched which cast doubts on the longevity of a reunion between the rival groups beyond the common goal of fighting Israeli annexation. The speed with which agreement between the two movements was achieved has surprised Israel’s security services, although they would not have been blind to the possibility as soon as Benjamin Netanyahu announced his annexation plan. Israel is rightly concerned about a collaboration between Hamas and Fatah, no matter how short-lived their handshake. Israelis does not put as much stock on what is said openly on the Palestinian media as they do on what happens on the field. This is why Israel is mindful of the “no press statement” post-meetings between the top Hamas and Fatah officials. What happens on the ground will also depend to a large extent on if the Palestinian Authority decides to authorize Hamas to operate on the West Bank. Hamas was established in 1987, and has its origins in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement, which had been active in the Gaza Strip since the 1950s and gained influence through a network of mosques and various charitable and social organizations. Jibril Rajoub of Fatah is reportedly poised to succeed Mahmoud Abbas but Israeli discussion groups say he is not the Palestinian leader’s choice of successor. Rajoub is also promoting himself as the only man in Fatah able to reach an understanding with Hamas. Rajoub’s brother, Sheikh Nayef Rajoub, by the way, is a senior Hamas executive official in the West Bank. On the other hand, Al-Arouri of Hamas is polished and intelligent, and quickly understood the strategic gains of a handshake with Fatah’s Rajoub. Now, Arouri is confident his movement will have the leverage to conduct large demonstrations in the West Bank, something which Fatah has been unable to do. With a union with Fatah, Hamas will have political cover for its activities and its foot soldiers may even be immune to arrest by the Palestinian security forces. The Hamas government of 2016 is the Gaza-based faction of the Palestinian government and is a de facto third Hamas government, ruling over the Gaza Strip since the split of the Palestinian National Authority in 2007. It is evident that the last thing in Israel’s wish bucket is a unified Hamas-Fatah movement. Israel sees such a development as a sure-sign of impending coordinated campaigns of resistance which will predictably include armed attacks in the West Bank. From Opera News Hub The views expressed in this article are the writer's, they do not reflect the views of Opera News. Please report any fake news or defamatory statements to feedback-newshub@operanewshub.com See all Report a problem default 6 dislike dislike Open in Opera News to see all hot comments DeanMambwe_01·16h 1 Reply ISRAEL WILL PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR ITS AGGRESSION TOWARDS THE PALESTINIANS. AbelZ·16h 3 Reply Every collaboration against Israel will not stand. Mark my word . AdamM.Sani·15h 2 Reply Then you just want them to fold their hands watching you striking them for no reason? what about your daily meetings and phone calls with America and some of European countries and Saudi?? +234-0703363****·17h 1 Reply They must you unite to succeed