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Divisions Inside Hamas Block Palestinian Reconciliation; Hamas Prepares for Next Round of Fighting with Israel

[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - It's been two years since Hamas' takeover of Gaza. In June 2007, clashes between Hamas and Fatah claimed the lives of 158 Palestinians; since then about 100 Gazans have been killed in intra-Palestinian clashes. The prevailing assessment in Egyptian intelligence is that Hamas' political leadership is interested in reconciliation, but Hamas' military wing, headed by Ahmed al-Jabari, and its officials in Damascus, are the problem. Hamas would like to forget about Israel's Gaza operation in January. Although it claimed "victory" when the war ended, it is now clear that Hamas failed to obtain any of its aims, and also has had to prevent other groups from firing rockets for fear of a harsh Israeli reprisal. However, Hamas is not trying to keep these smaller groups from taking action along the border fence. Hamas is continuing to smuggle in short-range and long-range rockets to rehabilitate its military capability. It is also digging tunnels throughout the Strip to prepare for the next Israeli invasion, planning to use them to abduct soldiers and launch attacks against Israeli forces.
2009-06-26 06:00:00
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