Palestine: The Perilous Strife Within
For the first
time in the six-decade-long resistance to Israeli occupation, the Palestinians
are no longer sure who the enemy is. Adding to the confusion are the Jihadi
Salafis.
The Hamas has brutally put down attempts by the Jihadi Salafi groups
in Gaza to challenge its rule and lead the resistance into unchartered
territory. But the larger implications of a possible descent into al-Qaeda
style, uncontrollable violence does not bode well for the resistance. The fight
against Israel and the demand for an independent Palestinian nation have
supporters around the world. If the resistance falls into the hands of groups
deriving inspiration from al-Qaeda, this support is likely to evaporate. And
with that, the isolation of the Palestinians will be complete. --
K.S. Dakshina Murthy
K.S. Dakshina Murthy
Al-Qaeda-inspired groups are increasingly feeding on Palestinian
frustrations. This could prove detrimental to the Palestinian
cause.
Continued infighting between the Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas
is leading to a situation where all hope of a solution to the six-decade-old
conflict with Israel may recede.
Since
June 2007, the energies and attention of the Palestinian fighters have been
consumed to a great extent by internecine clashes. This has naturally caused
frustration and resentment among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Worse, the infighting is fuelling extreme, al-Qaeda-inspired, Islamist groups
that until now had no place in the Palestinian resistance.
The
al-Qaeda-inspired groups are still tiny and fragmented. But many of them are
rudderless and without an identifiable alternative leadership. This has created
peculiar problems for the Hamas. In recent weeks, these fringe groups have
reportedly carried out provocative rocket attacks on
Israel.
For a
year or so, the Hamas had desisted from firing rockets into Israel: it was an
unofficial ceasefire. But Israel has said it would hold the Hamas responsible
for any rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. And, true to form, the Israeli
military has retaliated against attacks, sending in troops and tanks into the
Gaza Strip and destroying houses.
The
Hamas has attempted to rein in the fringe groups, broadly termed Jihadi Salafis.
Some of the operatives have been arrested; others have been killed in Hamas-led
raids. According to a Hamas spokesman, around 150 Salafi fighters, some of them
formerly affiliated to the Hamas, have been arrested.
In
August 2009, one of the Salafi groups, Jund Ansar Allah (Soldiers of the
Supporters of God), challenged the Hamas in a Gaza mosque. Its leader, Abdul
Latif Musa, declared Gaza to be an Islamic state. He proclaimed its intention to
carry on violent resistance against Israelis and dared the Hamas to act against
it. The Hamas retaliated, killing the group's leader and 26
others.
The
Hamas attempted to play that down as an isolated incident, but it led to a
mushrooming of other Salafi groups. These go by names such as “Soldiers of the
Monotheism Brigades,” “Rolling Thunder” and the “Army of
God.”
These
groups are angry with the Hamas, which they accuse of not being true to its
Islamic moorings. In Gaza, the Hamas (which is short in Arabic for the Islamic
Resistance Group of Palestine) has not enforced Islamic laws. For example, Gazan
women need not wear the veil and men do not have to sport a beard. This has
irked the Salafis, who want Taliban-style law enforcement in
Gaza.
There
have been attacks on Internet cafes and music stores, viewed as haraam by the
Jihadi Salafis. Across the Muslim world, Salafis are known for their rigid
interpretation of Islamic laws. They are mostly involved in religious teaching
and social service. But some of them have taken to arms, influenced by the
al-Qaeda's call for a holy war against the West and moderate Arab
leaders.
Hamas
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh recently acknowledged that the Jihadi Salafi
groups had indeed managed to influence a small section of Gazans. But he
expressed confidence that they could be talked out of their extreme
views.
Ironically, the Hamas, which a section of the media and the Israeli,
U.S. and most European governments projected as a hardline group, is now coming
out as being moderate in its beliefs and ideology. Of course, the Hamas has not
recognised Israel's existence, which causes animosity against it in Israel and
the West. This is also a key reason for it being branded as “terrorist” by the
U.S.
On
several occasions the Hamas leadership has categorically said it is interested
only in an independent Palestinian state and that its only enemy is Israel. Its
violent acts are confined to the Palestinian territories. It has distanced
itself from the al-Qaeda and sees no purpose in violence. It does not support
violence in any other part of the world, even if it is for the cause of
Palestinian resistance.
The
Hamas' refusal to recognise Israel is the reason for its relationship with the
Fatah having broken down. This has caused a wedge in the Palestinian resistance
and a split between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. As for the Fatah, it has
long recognised Israel and is now comfortable talking to it. The Fatah
leadership under Mahmoud Abbas accuses the Hamas of jeopardising the gains the
Palestinians have made and of being an obstacle to a possible solution to the
conflict. The Hamas, in turn, accuses the Fatah of compromising on Palestinian
interests to curry favour with Israel and the U.S.
Several
rounds of talks, brokered by certain Arab countries led by Egypt, have been held
between representatives of the Fatah and the Hamas, but to no avail.
Conflict-weary Palestinians and the diaspora who expected some sort of an
agreement have expressed dismay at the intransigence of the two groups. For the
first time in the six-decade-long resistance to Israeli occupation, the
Palestinians are no longer sure who the enemy is. Adding to the confusion are
the Jihadi Salafis.
The
Hamas has brutally put down attempts by the Jihadi Salafi groups in Gaza to
challenge its rule and lead the resistance into unchartered territory. But the
larger implications of a possible descent into al-Qaeda style, uncontrollable
violence does not bode well for the resistance. The fight against Israel and the
demand for an independent Palestinian nation have supporters around the world.
If the resistance falls into the hands of groups deriving inspiration from
al-Qaeda, this support is likely to evaporate. And with that, the isolation of
the Palestinians will be complete.
Alternatively, if the West Bank remains with the Fatah and Gaza falls
into the hands of the Jihadi Salafis, each will go its own way and the Gazans
will be at the mercy of Israel. In the West Bank, the Fatah's bargaining power
will erode and it may have to make do with what is doled out by
Israel.
Already,
in the face of a divided resistance, the consequences are apparent. Israel is
pressuring even its principal sponsor, the U.S., to agree to its plan to build
Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. In February, a key Hamas figure,
Mahmoud al-Mahbouh, was assassinated in Dubai by Israeli agents. The killers
were reportedly supplied crucial information by Palestinians opposed to the
hardline group.
There is
extensive documentation linking Israel to the creation of the Hamas in 1987, in
order to undermine the hold of the secular Fatah-led Palestine Liberation
Organisation (PLO). Since that time, especially after the death of the Fatah
chief Yasser Arafat in 2004, the Hamas has eaten into the Fatah's support base.
It even won elections in 2006. Though there is no evidence until now of covert
Israeli support to the Jihadi Salafis for a similar purpose, to undercut the
Hamas, it would be worthwhile for the Hamas and Fatah to expect the worst and
patch up before the situation deteriorates further in
Gaza.
(K. S. Dakshina Murthy was formerly an Editor with Aljazeera, based
in Doha.)
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi
9:56 PM
Sultan Shahin
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