Hamas delegates find welcome at Fatah conference, but not trust
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/hamas-fatah-seventh-congress-rapprochement-reconciliation.html
Sufian Abu Zaida, a close Dahlan associate, wrote in his Dec. 1 article “Love Letters Between Hamas and President Abbas” that “Hamas has made up its mind and picked a side" in Fatah’s internal conflict. He was referring to Hamas choosing Abbas over Dahlan.
He added, “Hamas seems to be convinced that President Abbas needed to get rid of his nemesis Dahlan, or at least weaken him. Seeing as how [Dahlan’s] main center of power is Gaza, Abbas is ready to make concessions and to take all the steps he was reluctant to take during the past 10 years.”
Some Dahlan supporters wanted to hold a separate conference, as Dahlan was excluded from the seventh congress. Naima Sheikh, a dismissed Fatah leader close to Dahlan, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas did not allow us to organize any event in Gaza to express our rejection of Fatah’s congress, and this may have been the result of an understanding between Abbas and Hamas. … We submitted several requests to Hamas in Gaza, but they were all denied.”
Is Hamas seeking to exploit the disagreements within Fatah? Sheikh said, “It is only normal for Hamas to take advantage of the Fatah disputes. Any political faction as major as Hamas would want to take advantage of any conflict within its political rival … to overcome its own crises.”
Though Hamas apparently chose Abbas over Dahlan during the conference, Abrash said Hamas has sent positive messages to both Abbas and Dahlan, who has close ties with Egypt. Abrash believes Hamas will choose the side that offers the most to it and Gaza.
He explained that Hamas was searching for common ground with Abbas, which may help resolve some outstanding issues, but one cannot yet be optimistic about ending the division or reaching reconciliation.
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