Good Hamas, Bad Hamas…
Hamas leaders are laying down a smoke screen of contradictory statements to lower resistance in the West and Israel to their forthcoming formation of a new Palestinian government. Their spokesmen issue reasonable-sounding statements like Mussa Abu Marzuk, who Monday, Feb. 6, promised to honor previously signed agreements, but then reversed himself with a qualifier – “only if they suit our interests.”
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is going along with this tactic. While pretending to lay down conditions for Hamas to lead a government, he is in fact giving way to Hamas demands. The concessions he is in the process of making to the Islamic terrorists contradict his pledges to US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak last week to make Hamas recognize Israel and disarm before entrusting the terrorist group with government.
Palestinian and intelligence sources have revealed to debkafile the demands Abu Mazen faced when he met Hamas leaders Mahmoud a-Zahar and Ismail Haniya in Gaza
Saturday, Feb. 4.
They want the civil affairs portfolio held by Mohammad Dahlan because it controls Palestinian exchanges with Israeli officials on a whole gamut of issues from coordination on civic affairs to day-to-day problems. They also want the interior ministry with the Palestinian police and the preventive intelligence services.
A-Zahar said Hamas would merge the two ministries.
The handover of Dahlan’s functions and management of Palestinian relations with Israel would place Jerusalem in the position of willy-nilly dealing with Hamas, laying out funds to meet Palestinian needs and cutting out any other Palestinian contacts. Even Abu Mazen would find himself upstaged.
The two amalgamated ministries would be the most powerful body in the Palestinian Authority, which is why Hamas is willing to forego control of all other Palestinian security and intelligence services and leave them to Abu Mazen. Once all the Palestinian police stations and every branch of Preventive Security are in Hamas hands, the Islamic group will attain two objectives: direct control of the Palestinian and the breakup of the power bases supporting the two Fatah strongmen, Dahlan and Jibril Rajoub. The plan is to finish these two long-ruling officials for good.
The new rulers will also have the tools for controlling West Bank traffic arteries in the areas under Palestinian rule and the C zones where Israel has the say on security. It will be in Hamas’s power to create daily friction with Israel military and police forces on the spot and Israel inhabitants. All three will have no choice but to do business with Hamas in order to make life bearable.
The Gaza-based Hamas leaders fly to Cairo to meet their Damascus-based superiors to plot their next steps.