[Ynet News] Dore Gold - The latest clashes between Fatah and Hamas made many forget how closely the two organizations cooperated on the operational level over the years. On January 22, 2006, Mahmoud Abbas' national security advisor Mohammed Dahlan revealed on the Lebanese television network LBC that "All your [Hamas] military commanders were protected by the (Palestinian) defense establishment during the (second) Intifada. They enjoyed full protection." At the height of the second Intifada, Fatah's Marwan Barghouti headed an umbrella organization called The National and Islamic Forces that coordinated Hamas and Fatah attacks against Israel. Fatah is willing to cooperate with Israel at a time of weakness, but can quickly renew its partnership with Hamas and other violent organizations, as was the case in the past decade.
2007-07-30 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive