Rift deepens as Hamas strongman in Gaza rejects Mesha'al's deal
Agreement with Fatah was signed without consultation, Zahar says
Ramallah: A rare public rift broke open yesterday in the usually tightly disciplined movement Hamas over a reconciliation deal that would require it to relinquish key areas of control in the Gaza Strip.
The deal, brokered by Qatar, was signed last week in Doha by Hamas' top leader in exile, Khalid Mesha'al, and the chief of the rival Fatah party, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The agreement is to end nearly five years of separate governments —Hamas in Gaza and Abbas in the West Bank — by establishing an interim unity government headed by Abbas that would prepare for Palestinian elections.
Argument
Senior Hamas figures in Gaza, who stand to lose most from the deal, said it was unacceptable, while top Hamas loyalists in the West Bank defended the agreement. The argument raised new questions about the ability of Abbas and Mesha'al to implement the deal, seen as their best shot yet at healing the rift following Hamas' takeover of Gaza in 2007.
Mesha'al might be able to put down the unprecedented rebellion against him, but would need the goodwill and cooperation of Hamas leaders in Gaza to make the agreement work.
Gaza strongman Mahmoud Zahar, one of the masterminds of the Gaza takeover, said Mesha'al did not consult with others in the movement before signing the deal.
