Iranian Interference puts Palestinian Reconciliation "In the Freezer"

BlaasForRafa

About 6 months ago the Iranian regime cut off funding to Hamas after the Syrian-based supreme leadership of Hamas refused to back the Assad regime in Syria. It seems that the loss of money to Hamas has forced the leaders of Gaza Hamas to go back to the Iranians with cap in hand. The quid pro quo for renewed funding is, according to Fatah, a freezing of the reconciliation process between Fatah and Hamas.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/fatah-iran-paid-hamas-to-block-palestinian-unity-deal-1.419788

Iran paid the Islamist group Hamas to block a deal with the rival Fatah movement that would have ended a five-year rift between the two main Palestinian factions, a Fatah spokesman said on Tuesday.

He said Tehran recently resumed financial aid to Hamas which it had suspended six months ago over the Palestinian movement's failure to back their mutual ally President Bashar Assad of Syria in his military campaign to crush dissent.

"Iran has an interest in the division continuing. Iran realizes the importance of the Palestinian cause from the religious, political and geographic status and, therefore, it wants to control it," Assaf said.

If unity was restored and the Palestine Liberation Organization or any legitimate leadership ruled Gaza, Iran would lose its influence, he said.

The palestinians were making real progress on the world stage with their bid to achieve membership of the United nations etc, however the Palestinians will not be taken seriously if they are disunited and fighting with each other.

Hamas had shown some political maturity in not attacking Israel in the latest flare-up (although whether they gave Islamic Jihad and the PRC the go ahead is another matter). Its disappointing to see that they cave in to Iran in order to get money, it indicates that they put their own needs above what is good for the palestinian people as a whole.

This also indicates how shamelessly the Iranian regime will use the palestinian issue for its own purposes, scuppering a chance at Fatah/Hamas unity so they can prolong the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel. A united Palestinian people could actually put pressure on the world to do something about Netanyahu's intransigence but that seems to be put aside now.

"Reconciliation stands no chance of being achieved because the obstacle that long prevented it remains in place, and that is the absence of real will by both sides, especially Hamas," said Hani Habib, a Gaza-based political analyst.

West Bank commentator Hani al-Masri said the reconciliation project was as good as dead "unless a miracle happens".

Nodin

The interference in Palestinian attempts to present a united front is contemptible.

I'm unconvinced that a unified Palestinian front would make any difference with regards to negotiations with Israel however. Additionally "the world" has no say in the matter, rather notoriously.

SamHarris

It would not surprise me at all if many of the former and present regimes in the region, despite paying lipservice to their hatred of Israel are only too happy to see the conflict continue and occasionaly flair up, the continued schism facilitates this obviously.

The reasons being obvious, Arab state media etc have succeeded in making the issue so central in the various publics psyche that many see it as the most pressing concern of their own nation. Their own nation often being intensly authotarian, murderous and often crushing and tortuing their own people (and Palestinian refugees) all the whilst portraying Israel as the enemy they must all face for now.

That is not to say the Palestine - Israel conflict is not or would not be important to other arabs, but it is easy to see how it would play right into an authotarian leaders hands to have its people more concerned abotu the wrongs and lack of freedom of another peoples rather than their own.

Brown Bomber

That's quite the double-standard Sam.

SamHarris wrote: »

The reasons being obvious, Arab state media etc have succeeded in making the issue so central in the various publics psyche

Didn't you say this,

Are you implying there is some sort of cabinet that directs the world media? If so please, share your evidence with the world.

and this only yesterday?

Really alot of these posts are more CT stuff, hinting at some sort of shadow power controlling world media.

So if I could turn your question back on you: Are you implying there is some sort of cabinet that directs the world Arab media? If so please, share your evidence with the world.

SamHarris

Brown Bomber wrote: »

That's quite the double-standard Sam.
Didn't you say this,

and this only yesterday?


So if I could turn your question back on you: Are you implying there is some sort of cabinet that directs the world Arab media? If so please, share your evidence with the world.

Its not double standards, its a recognition of the difference between Western media and media in other parts of the world, and the relative control governments have on said media. Media in the middle east is tightly controlled. there are organisations that measure such things, for example
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_Freedom_Index

Yes. Explicitly the goverment in most Arab nations have control of the internet to a massive degree, PressTV and Al Jazeera are both government funded and extremly popular. Information is often vetted directly by ministries and tightly controlled by the governments in question.

Again, not double standards, a recognition of enormous differences in how the media is handled in other places.

Why, do you have evidence of this taking place in the West?

JustinDee

Iran is NOT Arabic.

southsiderosie

MOD NOTE:

Posts on Chomsky have been moved into a new thread. This thread is about Iran's relationship with Palestinian political leadership. Future off-topic posts will be deleted and infracted. Please stay on topic, people.