By Yu Zhongwen, Abdel Meguid Kamal, Xinhua,
Cairo : Egypt has always been working to help resume the inter-Palestinian dialogue in the past months. However, analysts expect the latest conflicts between rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah would cast shadows on the Egyptian mediation efforts on the Palestinian issue.
“The recent clashes between Hamas and Fatah caused psychological barriers and enlarged the rift between the two major Palestinian groups, which would consequently hinder the Egyptian efforts to help resume the inter-Palestinian dialogue,” Magdi el-Dakak, a political analyst told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Sunday.
During a recent visit to Egypt, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is in favor of relaunching the inter-Palestinian dialogue under the auspices of Egypt.
Following talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on July 27, Abbas said he agreed with Mubarak that Egypt will soon start extending invitations to various Palestinian factions to participate in the dialogue in a bid to reconcile Palestinians.
Four days later, deputy chief of Hamas political bureau Moussa Abu Marzouq, who also paid a visit to Egypt, said his group received Egypt’s invitation for holding an inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo.
“We welcomed the dialogue and expressed our hope for rendering Egypt’s move successful to close Palestinian ranks,” Abu Marzouq said on Thursday following a three-day meeting with Egyptian officials.
However, clashes between Hamas and Fatah escalated at the same time. Since a bombing attack on July 25 in western Gaza City that killed five Hamas militants and a little girl, the two Palestinian factions have been exchanging arrests and crackdown on each other’s members and supporters.
On Saturday, heavy fighting between Hamas and a clan loyal to Fatah movement left nine Palestinians killed and some 90 others wounded, which raised Arabs’ concerns and even criticism.
According to a senior Egyptian official, the Egyptian side on Saturday contacted political leaders of various Palestinian groups intensively on the latest inter-Palestinian conflicts, trying to stem the Palestinian bloodletting.
In an editorial on Sunday, leading Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram strongly criticized the Palestinian inter-fighting, saying, “no sane person could accept the violence” between Hamas and Fatah.
The Palestinian cause that has been preoccupying the Arabs for the past 60 years is now “dwindling and fading away into a mere inter-Palestinian conflict over trivial gains under the current state of affairs,” Al-Ahram said.
On Sunday, Arab League (AL) Assistant Secretary General for Palestinian Affairs Mohammed Sobeih said the armed clashes “among brothers in the Palestinian territories” are unacceptable, urging Hamas and Fatah to put an end to their conflicts immediately.
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad (Holy War) leader Naffez Azzam said Sunday the internal Palestinian tension obstructs any effort to resume inter-Palestinian dialogue and boosts the split between Gaza and the West Bank.
Analyst el-Dakak said “the clashes will affect not only the Egyptian efforts, but also the future of the Palestinian people.”
“If the current situation lasts, the Palestinian cause will lose,” warned el-Dakak.
However, he also expressed his confidence that with the Egyptian efforts the Palestinian groups will sit down together to resume dialogue for Palestinian national reconciliation.
“Egypt has its unique influence on the leadership of the two Palestinian groups,” said el-Dakak, adding the rational members of the Palestinian movements must know clearly about the consequence of lasting internal conflicts.
“Although the Egyptian mission is very difficult, Egypt will persuade the Palestinians to reopen internal dialogue,” said el-Dakak.
Palestinian political analyst Samir Ghartas is not so optimistic about the prospects of the inter-Palestinian dialogue.
Ghartas said some forces in the Palestinian movements have no intention to resume the dialogue because they have different political projects on the Palestinian issue.
Analysts said the arrests and crackdown carried out by Hamas obviously are aimed at putting an end to any military presence of Fatah and getting rid of any future armed threats to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In last June, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and ousted his Fatah movement in deadly fighting, taking over Gaza and widening the political split with the Fatah-controlled West Bank.
Ghartas said Abbas’ Fatah has always considered the return of Gaza to the situation before the takeover of Hamas as a precondition to resume dialogue.
In addition, Ghartas said, there are some regional forces that want to maintain the status quo of the Palestinian territories — the political and geographical separation of the Palestinians.
“No matter the clashes (between Hamas and Fatah) happened or not, the Egyptian efforts will not reach positive results,” said Ghartas.
“Even if Egypt help the Palestinians reach an agreement of national reconciliation, it will break down soon,” said the analyst, citing the failure of the implementation of previous agreements among Palestinian groups.
Besides the inter-Palestinian dialogue, Egypt has also been mediating between Hamas-led Palestinian groups and Israel on a truce in and around the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip.
The chaos caused by the Hamas-Fatah friction may also lead to negative influence on the fitful indirect talks between Hamas and Israel.
On June 19, the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in Gaza. But the indirect talks between Hamas and Israel on a possible prisoner swap and the opening of Gaza crossings have made little progress up to now.