November 13, 2007
Violence Mars Uneasy Approach To Mideast Talks
Overnight raids in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip netted hundreds of Fatah activists in the area after days of clashes between the two Palestinian factions. A Fatah spokesman said 400 activists were rounded up; a Hamas official disputed that figure and said it had been fewer than 50.
The clashes began yesterday, after about 200,000 people marched at a Gaza rally to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Palestinian factions have splintered since the longtime leader's death disrupted the uneasy status quo between the Fatah leader's more moderate party and the radical Hamas.
The rally was the largest since Hamas took over Gaza in June. Seven people have been killed and more than 50 injured in the clashes, according to Fatah representative Hazem Abu Shanab.
The massive size of the rally attests to Arafat's continued popularity in the area, and Time reports that "Gaza sources also said that many Palestinians attended the memorial as a protest against Hamas's tightening control over Gaza." But Hamas Interior Minister Siad Syam told reporters that yesterday's violence was part of a plot by Fatah to make it seem as if Hamas is losing control of the region before U.S.-sponsored peace talks set for the last week of November in Annapolis, Md.
Although the Annapolis meeting is supposed to address all "core issues" between the two sides -- including the division of Jerusalem and the refugee crisis -- the talks have already been dismissed as only a basic starting point and unlikely to result in any meaningful gains. In fact, Israeli and American officials have been trying so hard to lower expectations that they are referring to the Annapolis talks as only a "meeting" rather than a "conference."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the driving force behind the summit, is now trying to drum up support among the other big players in the region. She recently emphasized the talks' mission to King Abdullah of Jordan and said over the weekend that Syria would probably be invited.
In a gesture toward the Palestinian Authority before the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday promised to free more than 400 prisoners. Olmert also gave a speech a few weeks ago emphasizing the gravity of the negotiations and calling the Palestinian Authority a credible negotiating partner -- a move that one pundit noted was a total reversal from Israel's earlier position.
Mahmoud Abbas echoed Olmert's comments last week, praising Rice's efforts and calling the conference "a serious occasion to launch a genuine peace process."
But saying Abbas' challenges are daunting is almost an absurd understatement. Last week, he unveiled a new mausoleum erected in Arafat's memory in Ramallah -- in the West Bank, the part of the Palestinian territories still controlled by his Fatah party. A laser beam on the memorial's minaret shines in the direction of Jerusalem, where Arafat had wished to be buried before Israeli officials refused his request.
Posted at 11:21 AM
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Fatah, Hamas, Middle East, Palestinians
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