Hatem Qafisheh, a senior Hamas official from Hebron, claimed that he and other Hamas representatives were warned by their Israeli interrogators not to strike any deal with Fatah.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israel is trying to foil efforts to end the Hamas-Fatah rift, Hamas officials said Tuesday. The claim was made after the IDF arrested several Hamas operatives in the West Bank over the past few days.Hatem Qafisheh, a senior Hamas official from Hebron who was briefly detained by the IDF earlier this week, said he and other Hamas representatives were warned by their Israeli interrogators not to strike any deal with Fatah.Israeli security officials refused to comment on the allegations.Qafisheh said the interrogators told him he and other Hamas officials would pay a price if an agreement is reached between Hamas and Fatah, he told London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.Bassem Za’areer, another Hamas official in the West Bank, said some of his colleagues received phone calls from Israeli intelligence officers warning them against taking parts in current efforts to end the Fatah-Hamas dispute.In addition to Qafisheh, the IDF arrested a number of Hamas officials over the past few days. They include Nayef Rajoub and Nizar Ramadan.“Israel is arresting Hamas officials in order to prevent reconciliation with Fatah,” said Palestinian academic Abdel Karim Murad, who is closely associated with Hamas. “The recent arrests are a clear indication that Israel won’t allow Hamas to operate freely in the West Bank or join forces with Fatah.”“Most of the Hamas officials were questioned about the efforts to achieve reconciliation with Fatah,” a source close to Hamas confirmed. “Apparently, Israel is worried about the possibility that Fatah and Hamas would reach a reconciliation agreement and work together.”Last week, Israel released from prison Sheikh Hasan Yousef, the most senior Hamas official in the West Bank. He was held under administrative detention for 15 months.Upon his release, Yousef said contacts between Hamas and Fatah were continuing in order to express rejection of Israel’s intention to apply its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank and US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Yousef praised recent efforts to end the Hamas-Fatah dispute, which reached its peak in 2007 when Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip.“Rapprochement between Hamas and Fatah has had a positive impact on all Palestinians,” he said. “It has brought hope to the Palestinians regarding the prospects of achieving national unity.”Earlier this month, Fatah and Hamas announced they had decided to lay aside their differences and cooperate to topple the Israeli annexation plan and Trump’s vision for Mideast peace.The announcement was made during a joint press interview between Ramallah-based Jibril Rajoub, secretary general of the Fatah Central Committee, and Saleh Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas “political bureau,” who is based in Beirut.Since then, Hamas and Fatah officials have held a number of meetings in the Gaza Strip as part of their effort to end the dispute between them.The two parties are also planning a joint rally in the Gaza Strip to voice their rejection of Israeli and US policies and measures. No date has been set for the rally.PA President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to address the rally through video conference if and when it takes place, a senior Fatah official in the West Bank said.The official clarified, however, that the rally might be canceled because of Hamas’s refusal to accept Abbas as the sole speaker at the rally.“Hamas wants its leaders and leaders of other Palestinian factions to speak at the rally,” the official said. “They also want their militiamen to appear at the rally with their weapons. This is something that President Abbas and Fatah cannot accept.”
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