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2023-07-09 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
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Jenin operation aggravates Fatah-Hamas tensions
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[Jpost] The expulsion of two senior Fatah officials sparked angry reactions from several Fatah representatives, including the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Hundreds of gunmen belonging to the ruling Fatah faction took to the streets in several parts of the West Bank over the weekend, in one of the largest shows of force by Fatah there in recent years, firing into the air and chanting slogans in support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, amid heightened tensions with Hamas.
The tensions reached their peak last week, when two senior Fatah officials, Mahmoud al-Aloul and Azzam al-Ahmed, were expelled from the funerals of some of the Palestinians killed during the recent Israeli military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp.
The expulsion of the two officials sparked angry reactions from several Fatah representatives, including the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Fatah accused Hamas members of standing behind the humiliation of Aloul and Ahmed at the funerals and vowed to severely punish those responsible. It called on the PA security forces, largely dominated by Fatah, to "break the bones and cut off the tongues" of Hamas men in the West Bank.
On Friday night, a top adviser to Abbas lashed out at Hamas, dubbing it a "gang of thieves, liars, and spies" whose leaders lead comfortable lives in five-star hotels in Qatar while their people are suffering in the Gaza Strip.
| Absolutely true. But the same could be said about Fatah and the Palestinian Authority as a whole, though perhaps not in Qatar. |
Senior Fatah officials also accused Hamas of attempting to "hijack the victory" the Palestinian gunmen allegedly scored during last week’s two-day military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp.
The Palestinians see the results of the operation as a "victory," because the Israeli security forces were unable to kill or capture most of the top gunmen, including the commanders of the Jenin Battalion, a militia armed and funded by the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Twelve Palestinian gunmen were killed during the operation, according to Palestinian sources. The slain gunmen were members of the Jenin Battalion and PIJ, the sources said.
"Hamas was out of the picture during the Jenin battle," said Hafez Barghouti, a former newspaper editor and member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council. "Despite that, Hamas told the world that it was present during the battle."
Hamas and other Palestinians, however, ridiculed the Palestinian security forces for hiding in their headquarters in the city of Jenin during the Israeli military incursion. Some went so far as to accuse the PA leadership of being in cahoots with Israel to get rid of the armed groups in Jenin Refugee Camp.
In an apparent response to the Fatah allegations, the armed wing of Hamas has begun taking credit for terror attacks against Israelis, especially in the West Bank. The goal: to show that Hamas is not sitting on the fence and is actively taking part in attacks against Israelis.
Aloul and Ahmed were forced to leave the funerals when several angry mourners shouted at them "bara, bara! (Go away, go away) and ya lil’ar! (shame) and accused the PA of failing to defend the Palestinians during the military operation.
HOW ARE FATAH ACTIVISTS EXPLAINING FUNERAL INCIDENTS?
Attempts by Fatah activists to explain to the crowd that Aloul, deputy chairman of Fatah, is a father of a "martyr" because his son was killed by Israeli troops at the beginning of the Second Intifada, fell on deaf ears. Aloul, also known as Abu Jihad, is a veteran Fatah leader whose name is often mentioned as a potential successor to the 87-year-old Abbas.
| Or possibly not, after this demonstration of his unpopularity. |
The incident at the funerals is seen as a huge embarrassment for Fatah and as yet another sign of mounting tension between the ruling faction and Hamas. The two parties have been at each other’s throats since 2007, when Hamas staged a violent coup against the PA and seized control of the entire Gaza Strip. 
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Posted by Frank G 2023-07-09 00:00||
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