All fall down

Egypt faces the challenge of containing renewed Fatah-Hamas clashes in Gaza, Dina Ezzat reports

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This week in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to President Hosni Mubarak to intervene and kick-start progress on the long and tough road towards inter- Palestinian reconciliation. Abbas was in Egypt for talks with senior Egyptian and Arab League officials following an outbreak of violence between Fatah and Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip and to a lesser degree in the West Bank. According to one informed official source, "it is much easier to talk of reconciliation than to launch it."

The latest clashes have re-opened deep wounds between the two major Palestinian factions. With Fatah and Hamas each rounding up scores of activists, at issue appears more the state of combat readiness of the respective sides than the launch of a dialogue process that Abbas called for and Hamas conditionally agreed to under Arab League sponsorship.

"Today, the situation is much more tense than when it was a couple of months ago, and even then there was not enough ground to build a successful dialogue on," commented one Egyptian official. Nonetheless, he argued that Egypt "could not possibly" overlook present tensions, especially when their venue is Gaza, in Cairo's immediate backyard.

Following talks with Abbas Sunday, Egyptian General Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman was in touch with leading Hamas officials. The message relayed to them was that Cairo is willing to host each side separately, to get their accounts of the recent outbreak of violence before pursuing a more orchestrated dialogue. Hamas, according to Egyptian sources, is reluctant to engage Fatah in dialogue. Nor does the movement appear keen to respond positively to Arab League entreaties that it change tack ahead of a wider inter-Palestinian dialogue.

A source close to a senior Damascus-based Hamas leader denied "categorically and in no uncertain terms" that Syria, currently in bad standing with Egypt, is demanding of Hamas that it turn its back to the dialogue proposed by Abbas. According to this source, Hamas leaders in Damascus and Gaza have serious issues with the approach of the Palestinian Authority towards dialogue. Hamas, the source stated, would not agree to any dialogue whose agenda does not include some "basic" issues including "overhauling" the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organisation.

"The days of Fatah manipulation are gone and the sooner that Fatah accepts this the easier it would be for all of us to handle our main and number one problem: the Israeli occupation of our territories," the source said.

Egypt is receiving similar messages and as such is applying caution with regard to the call of Abbas for dialogue. According to one source: "Egypt would [support] a dialogue that would be agreed on and with an agenda that could herald success, and it will not act otherwise just to secure Abbas an image whereby he is pursuing dialogue with Hamas through Cairo when Hamas is turning its back on the hand of reconciliation extended by Abbas."

Meanwhile, Egypt is trying fast-track its mediation between Hamas and Israel pursuant a prisoner swap deal by which Hamas would release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured two years ago by resistance fighters loyal to Hamas, in return for ending the imprisonment of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

On Tuesday, Egyptian officials confirmed leaked Israeli information on the Israeli government committing to show more flexibility on which prisoners are to be released. The success of a prisoner swap deal, argued the same Egyptian official, could set the ground for successful inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

On Tuesday, Egypt approached Hamas on a potentially "workable" format aimed to contain the currently explosive Palestinian situation. Hamas expressed willingness to discuss present issues directly with Egypt, without the presence of Fatah delegates. Egypt could then discuss the issue with Fatah representatives and come back to Hamas with answers to their questions. The key pending question for both is centred on power sharing and the share that each side will have.

For its part, Israel, Egyptian sources say, is also urging Egypt to intervene to avoid a situation whereby the politically defeated government of Ehud Olmert would have to intervene militarily if the situation in the occupied territories gets out of hand. Last month, a report issued by the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned that, "the Israeli defence establishment has virtually no faith in the PA's [Palestinian Authority] security performance."

In a statement attributed to Hamas Tuesday, the Islamist resistance movement threatened PA security forces with retaliation, suggesting that these forces are counting on Israeli protection. "You know that once the protection of the Zionists is over, people will enter your headquarters and kick you out," the statement said. It added, "you must know we are not acting against you now in the West Bank because... we know the Zionists will immediately back you."

It is this kind of talk that Egypt is hoping both Hamas and Fatah subdue before serious talks can commence, commented one Egyptian source. According to this source, Egypt is hoping that Fatah and Hamas each release prisoners held captive from the other side. "This would decrease the tension a little and help set some positive reciprocal signs of good faith."

In its report, the ICG acknowledged that the PA "has been involved in acts of torture and mistreatment of Hamas sympathisers [in the West Bank], many of whom were picked up and detained without due process." This behaviour and the unforthcoming stance of Hamas towards reconciliation are blamed by the ICG for "perpetuating a culture of impunity" and for "fuelling a cycle of revenge".

"The issue is not one of Egypt calling for dialogue or for having an Egyptian or Arab League umbrella; it is rather one of the Palestinian leaders agreeing amongst themselves that continued fighting is not in their interest," said one Arab League official.

This week, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa rejected suggestions that the situation in the Palestinian territories has worsened due to the failure of the Arab League to respond positively to an appeal made by Hamas leaders for the League to sponsor dialogue. Moussa, following talks with Abbas in Cairo, said that the intergovernmental Arab organisation is willing to take up the issue of dialogue once the Palestinians are ready.

Most sources argue that late August might serve as a realistic target date for the commencement of sponsored dialogue.