Khaled Abu Toameh
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Aug. 1, 2024
“Despite the Fatah-Hamas rivalry, Abbas and Haniyeh did not hesitate to meet or talk over the phone to discuss various issues, particularly ways of “reconciling” their rival parties.”
At least two Palestinians have good reasons to be satisfied following the preemptive targeting of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s “political bureau”: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar. For both, Haniyeh has long been a political rival whose departure from the Palestinian political arena will not be missed.
Public opinion polls conducted by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research over the past decade have consistently shown that Haniyeh is the only Hamas leader who could defeat Abbas in a Palestinian presidential election. Abbas and his cohorts in Ramallah have always been wary of Haniyeh’s popularity among the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. His popularity mainly stems from the fact that he came from a refugee camp (Shati) and led what was perceived as a relatively modest life compared to Abbas and other Palestinian Authority leaders and officials. Haniyeh’s close association with Hamas co-founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin also earned him the respect of many Palestinians. Before he rose to the helm of the terrorist group, Haniyeh, also known as Abu al-Abed, served as Yassin’s personal and most trusted aid.
Abbas and the PA leadership were also concerned about Haniyeh’s success in the diplomatic and international arena. They followed with deep concern Haniyeh’s visits to Arab and Islamic countries, where he was often received as a legitimate leader of the Palestinians. In Ramallah, there was also dissatisfaction over the close ties Haniyeh established with the rulers of Qatar.. … [To read the full article, click here]
