AP report
"Façade of unity," says Shin Bet chief.
Reuters: different reactions in WB vs Gaza
Iranian ambassador to Syria: new Palestinian unity could be "a serious danger to the Zionist regime."
Just a few stories - add more. My opinion: the desire of the Palestinian people for such a reconciliation is strong. I imagine that both Hamas and Fatah are feeling that pressure. So both have reason to want at least the appearance of an agreement. There will be ceremonies and symbolic acts but no real change. Illustrating the differences between these groups: statementsregarding the death of bin Laden. PM of Fatah/PA: "I would definitely view [Osama bin Laden’s death] as a major, indeed mega landmark event, marking the end of the life of a person who clearly was involved in egregious acts of terror and destruction. It is certainly our hope that this will mark the beginning of the end of a very dark era." Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' Gaza chief: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs."
My prediction: Egypt's relationship with Hamas is entering a stage of rapid evolution. Depending on what happens with the protests/uprising in Syria, and the results of elections in Egypt, I can see anything from a slight relaxing of Gaza-Egypt border security to Egypt becoming the absolute patrons of Hamas - the faction in power in Egypt using that patronage to provide evidence to the Egyptian people that while there won't be all-out war with Israel right away, the spirit of the Sadat-Begin deal will no longer be honored. I imagine this would be a popular thing inside Egypt and, if handled correctly, easy enough to do without jeopardizing relationships with Europe, Saudi Arabia, other trading partners, NGOs or the UN. But I'm only predicting something within the range I described - not the worst-case extreme.
Feel free to ignore my opinion and prediction and simply comment on developments or add links to news stories.
"Façade of unity," says Shin Bet chief.
Reuters: different reactions in WB vs Gaza
Iranian ambassador to Syria: new Palestinian unity could be "a serious danger to the Zionist regime."
Just a few stories - add more. My opinion: the desire of the Palestinian people for such a reconciliation is strong. I imagine that both Hamas and Fatah are feeling that pressure. So both have reason to want at least the appearance of an agreement. There will be ceremonies and symbolic acts but no real change. Illustrating the differences between these groups: statementsregarding the death of bin Laden. PM of Fatah/PA: "I would definitely view [Osama bin Laden’s death] as a major, indeed mega landmark event, marking the end of the life of a person who clearly was involved in egregious acts of terror and destruction. It is certainly our hope that this will mark the beginning of the end of a very dark era." Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' Gaza chief: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs."
My prediction: Egypt's relationship with Hamas is entering a stage of rapid evolution. Depending on what happens with the protests/uprising in Syria, and the results of elections in Egypt, I can see anything from a slight relaxing of Gaza-Egypt border security to Egypt becoming the absolute patrons of Hamas - the faction in power in Egypt using that patronage to provide evidence to the Egyptian people that while there won't be all-out war with Israel right away, the spirit of the Sadat-Begin deal will no longer be honored. I imagine this would be a popular thing inside Egypt and, if handled correctly, easy enough to do without jeopardizing relationships with Europe, Saudi Arabia, other trading partners, NGOs or the UN. But I'm only predicting something within the range I described - not the worst-case extreme.
Feel free to ignore my opinion and prediction and simply comment on developments or add links to news stories.