by Daniel Siryoti
Discord between Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh and military commander Yahya Sinwar "unprecedented," Gaza sources say, adding that the two no longer speak
Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh
Photo: AP
Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh and
the group's military leader Yahya Sinwar have been repeatedly locking
horns over the terrorist group's policies in the Gaza Strip, and the
rivalry has gotten to the point where the two no longer speak to each
other, Israel Hayom learned Wednesday.
According to Gaza sources, the growing
animosity between the two has caused a rift in Hamas, pitting Haniyeh's
supporters against Sinwar's supporters in a devastating split.
Haniyeh's camp includes top political
officials in the group and Sinwar's camp hails from Hamas' military
wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, led by Hamas strongman Mohammed
Deif.
A senior Hamas official described the rift
in Hamas' leadership as "unprecedented," saying it has undermined the
Egyptian-led efforts to strike an agreement between Hamas and Israel
that would allow for the economic rehabilitation of Gaza.
"Sinwar, who was released [from Israeli
prison] as part of the [2011] Schalit deal, is very committed to the
issue of Palestinian prisoners," the official added. "He promised the
prisoners still in jail that he will do everything in his power to
secure their release, and he is following through on that. Haniyeh is
less interested in the prisoners and has refused various offers for a
prisoner exchange deal with Israel."
Sinwar, the official added, "is perceived
as much more hawkish than Haniyeh, because he comes from the Izzedine
al-Qassam Brigades, but the truth is he is far more pragmatic than
Haniyeh, who can't seem to make difficult decisions and take
responsibility for them."
A former senior Hamas official told Israel
Hayom that the current crisis in the organization is so severe that
many of its top members have decided to resign over it.
He said that former Hamas chief Khaled
Mashaal has been asked to mediate between Haniyeh – his successor – and
Sinwar, but has failed to bridge the gaps between the two.
"The result is that Hamas now has a
two-headed leadership," the former official said. "The political wing
and the military wing each decide on their own policies without much
coordination."
Giving an example of the bad blood between
Haniyeh and Sinwar, another official recalled that "a few weeks ago,
Haniyeh arrived at the [Israel-Gaza] border to support demonstrators
there. His security guards whisked him away within minutes, fearing he
would be hurt by the Israeli military's tear gas and crowd control
measures. A short while later, Haniyeh learned that Sinwar had arrived
at the Khan Yunis protest and addressed the protesters. He was furious
and told his associates, 'Sinwar is doing everything he can to
undermine my position, humiliate me and embarrass me.'"
The ongoing rivalry within Hamas even
escalated recently, with cells loyal to the opposite camps clashing
violently, firing warning shots at officials' homes and planting
explosives under their cars.
Top officials in Hamas' political wing have
even accused the military wing of establishing a "hit squad" tasked
with intimidating Sinwar's political rivals.
Several Hamas officials in both camps said
that the Egyptian mediators have also realized that engaging with
Sinwar was more effective than negotiating with Haniyeh.
"It's not for nothing that all the recent
talks involved Sinwar. The Egyptians don't really see the point of
talking with Haniyeh," one official said.
Also on Wednesday, U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov downplayed reports suggesting Israel and Hamas have made progress on a potential prisoner swap.
Gaza's rulers are holding the remains of
two Israeli soldiers, Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin,
killed during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed,
both mentally disabled, crossed into Gaza voluntarily in 2014 and 2015
and were captured by Hamas.
"We are very far from a deal that would
secure the return of the Israeli soldiers' bodies and the two living
Israelis held by Hamas," he said.
Mladenov also criticized the Palestinian
Authority and said that "since the Egyptians began mediating between
Israel and Hamas in 2017, 'someone out there' is trying to disrupt any
progress."
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/11/22/hamas-said-to-be-devastatingly-torn-between-two-leaders/
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