Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Azzam al Ahmed

Palestinian Authority

Middle East

Palestinian

20020703

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jenin operation aggravates Fatah-Hamas tensions

2023-07-09

[Jpost] The expulsion of two senior Fatah officials sparked angry reactions from several Fatah representatives, including the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Hundreds of gunmen belonging to the ruling Fatah faction took to the streets in several parts of the West Bank over the weekend, in one of the largest shows of force by Fatah there in recent years, firing into the air and chanting slogans in support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, amid heightened tensions with Hamas.

The tensions reached their peak last week, when two senior Fatah officials, Mahmoud al-Aloul and Azzam al-Ahmed, were expelled from the funerals of some of the Palestinians killed during the recent Israeli military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp.

The expulsion of the two officials sparked angry reactions from several Fatah representatives, including the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Fatah accused Hamas members of standing behind the humiliation of Aloul and Ahmed at the funerals and vowed to severely punish those responsible. It called on the PA security forces, largely dominated by Fatah, to "break the bones and cut off the tongues" of Hamas men in the West Bank.

That sounds painful...

On Friday night, a top adviser to Abbas lashed out at Hamas, dubbing it a "gang of thieves, liars, and spies" whose leaders lead comfortable lives in five-star hotels in Qatar while their people are suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Absolutely true. But the same could be said about Fatah and the Palestinian Authority as a whole, though perhaps not in Qatar.

Senior Fatah officials also accused Hamas of attempting to "hijack the victory" the Palestinian gunmen allegedly scored during last week’s two-day military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp.

The Palestinians see the results of the operation as a "victory," because the Israeli security forces were unable to kill or capture most of the top gunmen, including the commanders of the Jenin Battalion, a militia armed and funded by the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Twelve Palestinian gunmen were killed during the operation, according to Palestinian sources. The slain gunmen were members of the Jenin Battalion and PIJ, the sources said.

"Hamas was out of the picture during the Jenin battle," said Hafez Barghouti, a former newspaper editor and member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council. "Despite that, Hamas told the world that it was present during the battle."

Hamas and other Palestinians, however, ridiculed the Palestinian security forces for hiding in their headquarters in the city of Jenin during the Israeli military incursion. Some went so far as to accuse the PA leadership of being in cahoots with Israel to get rid of the armed groups in Jenin Refugee Camp.

In an apparent response to the Fatah allegations, the armed wing of Hamas has begun taking credit for terror attacks against Israelis, especially in the West Bank. The goal: to show that Hamas is not sitting on the fence and is actively taking part in attacks against Israelis.

Aloul and Ahmed were forced to leave the funerals when several angry mourners shouted at them "bara, bara! (Go away, go away) and ya lil’ar! (shame) and accused the PA of failing to defend the Palestinians during the military operation.

HOW ARE FATAH ACTIVISTS EXPLAINING FUNERAL INCIDENTS?
Attempts by Fatah activists to explain to the crowd that Aloul, deputy chairman of Fatah, is a father of a "martyr" because his son was killed by Israeli troops at the beginning of the Second Intifada, fell on deaf ears. Aloul, also known as Abu Jihad, is a veteran Fatah leader whose name is often mentioned as a potential successor to the 87-year-old Abbas.

Or possibly not, after this demonstration of his unpopularity.

The incident at the funerals is seen as a huge embarrassment for Fatah and as yet another sign of mounting tension between the ruling faction and Hamas. The two parties have been at each other’s throats since 2007, when Hamas staged a violent coup against the PA and seized control of the entire Gaza Strip.

Link

Africa North

Hamas concludes comprehensive talks with Cairo intelligence officials

2018-07-14

[AlAhram] A delegation from the Paleostinian group Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", has left Cairo after a four-day round of talks with Egypt’s intelligence chief and other officials over Egyptian support for measures aimed at easing the humanitarian crisis in Gazoo and Paleostinian reconciliation.

The delegation was headed by Hamas deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri and other group officials including Mosa Abo Marzok, Khalil al-Hayya, Hossam Badran, Ezzat al-Rishq and Rohi Mushtaha.

The group met with Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and other intelligence officials handling the Paleostinian reconciliation dossier.

In a statement following their visit, Hamas said its delegation reiterated its wish to achieve reconciliation and Paleostinian national unity on a basis of partnership in resistance and decision-making, adding that achieving unity includes immediately lifting sanctions imposed by the Paleostinian Authority on Hamas.

They also restated their wish for reassembling the Paleostinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) through a new national unity council according to the outcomes of the meeting of Paleostinian factions in Beirut in 2017, as well as a full and comprehensive execution of Cairo’s 2011 agreement between the factions without any redaction or selectivity.

Abo Marzok described the latest round of talks as "the most important and comprehensive in terms of topics discussed."

The relationship between Hamas and rival Fatah has been witnessing political escalation.

Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas

... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
said that for reconciliation to take place, Hamas must hand over their facilities in Gazoo as agreed upon in reconciliation talks, adding that "this has to be demonstrated in the upcoming period."

Fatah is calling for an execution of terms for reconciliation, which collapsed after Paleostinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah survived an assignation attempt last March as he was heading to Gazoo to continue talks for reconciliation, which was reached between the two rival factions in Cairo in 2017.

Hamas announced at the time that it is not responsible for the attack on the Paleostinian PM.

The PLO’s executive committee member Azzam al-Ahmed said that Cairo received a report last week from the PLO's Gazoo Committee, which Cairo said was objective, and which al-Ahmed asked Hamas to show same level of objectivity.

According to sources in Cairo, the outcomes of the report echo Abbas' demand that Hamas hands over facilities and continue the previous agreed upon arrangements, which the sources say means there is still room for harmonisation between the two parties.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian Congress to Convene as Abbas Seeks to Strengthen Hand

2018-04-30

[AnNahar] The parliament of the Paleostine Liberation Organization convenes for the first time in decades Monday, as aging President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas

... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
seeks to strengthen his hand ahead of the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem.

Analysts said the three-day meeting of the Paleostinian National Council (PNC) in the West Bank city of Ramallah is unlikely to produce major policy shifts, but it will elect the 18 members of the PLO's executive committee that effectively forms Abbas's cabinet.

More than 100 of the 740-member body will be absent, including dozens allied to Islamists Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", -- the largest Paleostinian party behind Abbas's Fatah -- who have signed a letter opposing the meeting.

On Saturday Hamas called on Abbas to postpone the assembly until unity was reached between rival factions.

The meeting comes as relations between Abbas and U.S. President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
's administration have broken down ahead of the controversial relocation of the U.S. embassy, which is set to open in the divided holy city of Jerusalem on May 14.

The PNC has not held a regular session since 1996, and last held an special session in 2009.

- 'Consolidation of power' -
The session is expected to begin Monday night with a lengthy speech from Abbas in which the 82-year-old is likely to address the embassy move, among other topics. His rhetoric has become more agitated as relations with the U.S. have worsened since Trump's December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

That move broke with a decades-old international consensus that the holy city's status should only be determined in negotiations between Israel and the Paleostinians. Paleostinians see annexed east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. In March, Abbas called U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, a Trump appointee and long-time supporter of Israeli settlements, a "son of a dog."

His position is weakened by the ongoing split with Hamas, which rules Gazoo, after a reconciliation deal collapsed.

Analysts say Abbas, elected to a four-year term in 2005, is seeking to further centralize power within the institutions he controls.

Hugh Lovatt, a regional expert at the European Council for Foreign Relations, said he expected the meeting to "mark a further milestone in Abbas's consolidation of power and marginalization of political rivals."

The names selected for the executive committee will be seen as a key indicator of who is in favor in moderate Paleostinian politics, Lovatt added, and even "provide an indicator of frontrunners in the race to succeed Abbas."

Abbas will be one of three representatives of Fatah, along with long-time chief negotiator Saeb Erekat
...negotiated the Oslo Accords with Israel. He has been chief Paleostinian negotiator since 1995. He is currently negotiating with Israel to establish a de jure Paleostinian state...
and Azzam al-Ahmed, negotiator of the failed reconciliation agreement with Hamas.

Seven smaller parties, excluding Hamas, will each nominate a candidate, while eight independents will also be selected.

At least 10 of the current 18 committee members are expected to be replaced.

"The mere fact that he is looking to an institution that has not met for 20 years just shows how illegitimate he is," said Diana Buttu, a former Abbas employee and now fierce critic.

The split with Hamas has made elections impossible, so he has remained in power without a mandate. She said she was not expecting any serious challenges to his rule, though candidates are seemingly jostling behind the scenes for the post Abbas era.

"They know in this environment not to indicate in any way they want to run against Abbas or seek to position themselves as successor as that is enough to provoke his wrath," she said.

The Times of Israel has a good deal more here, for those interested.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas and Fatah sign reconciliation in Cairo - key points

2017-10-13

Place your bets, ladies and gents, on how long this agreement will last -- will they make it as far as implementation day (December 1) or melt down before then?

[IsraelTimes] The newly signed agreement in Cairo rests on PA resuming control of Gaza but sticking points remain Hamas recognition of Israel, fate of armed wing

The two major Palestinian factions reached a unity agreement Thursday after Egyptian mediation.

Islamist group Hamas, listed as a terror group by Israel, the US and the EU, and the secular Fatah party have ruled over separate territories since a near civil war in 2007.

Here are key points of the agreement and what remains unaddressed:

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, will resume full control of Gaza by December 1 at the latest. The PA was kicked out of Gaza in a violent coup 2007 but last month Hamas agreed to hand over civilian power.

All the major Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, will meet in Cairo on November 21 for discussions about forming a unity government.

The border crossings from Gaza with Israel and Egypt will be handed back to the Palestinian Authority in the coming weeks, with a November 1 deadline, according to the Fatah negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed. The crossing with Egypt may require more time for the handover.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Gaza for the first time in a decade in the coming weeks, according to an official from his party.

The issue of tens of thousands of civil servants employed by Hamas will be solved by February 2018, according to Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television.

Punitive measures taken by the PA against Gaza, including reductions in energy payments for the strip, are expected to be relieved.

Still to be resolved

The future of Hamas’s 25,000-strong military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was not mentioned in any of the public statements or documents.

Israel has said it will reject any agreement in which Hamas, with which it has fought three wars since 2008, does not disarm, as has the United States. Israel has also demanded it end all terror activity against Israel,and release the remains of two IDF soldiers killed in the 2014 summer war between Israel and Hamas.

Recognition of Israel was also not mentioned. The Abbas-led Palestine Liberation Organization has recognized Israel, while Hamas has not as it is vowed to its destruction.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, and Western diplomats say they could not accept any government of which Hamas is a part unless it recognizes Israel.

Ynet adds:

A senior Paleostinian official told French news agency AFP the agreement is set to include 3,000 Paleostinian Authority coppers deployed in the Gazoo Strip and near its border crossings with Israel and Egypt by November 1.

"This effectively means the Paleostinian Authority would resume both security and civil responsibility (in Gazoo)", the official said.

Hamas: Unity deal is so we can all ‘work together against Zionist enterprise’

[IsraelTimes] Lead negotiator Saleh al-Arouri, the Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, terror chief who Israel says planned 2014 kidnapping, killing of 3 Israeli teens, explains rationale behind Paleostinian reconciliation.

Reports from Egypt Thursday, quoted by Israel Radio, said Hamas was not prepared to disarm. The Islamist terror group was said to have instead agreed, under the terms of the emerging reconciliation deal, that it would not use its weaponry unless a resort to force was approved by a joint panel. There was no immediate official confirmation of this.

Israel’s Channel 10 reported last week that Israeli officials fear Arouri’s powerful position in Hamas could lead to an upsurge in terror if Fatah-Hamas reconciliation goes ahead, since Fatah could give Hamas greater flexibility and freedom in the West Bank.

Celebrations broke out in the Gazoo Strip after the announcement of the deal on Thursday, with residents waving flags of Egypt, Paleostine, Fatah and Hamas.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinians Meet In Cairo Amid Rift Clouding Gaza Truce Chances

2014-09-25

[Ynet] As Israeli-Paleostinian ceasefire talks take a break for the High Holy Days, Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Fatah focus on implementation of unity government.

Paleostinian factions met in Cairo on Wednesday for two days of talks aimed at mending a rift that could threaten Egyptian-mediated negotiations to turn the Gazoo ceasefire into a lasting truce.

The split between the Islamist movement Hamas and Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
' Fatah faction relates to several key issues including control of Gazoo. The disagreement could undermine any broader deal with Israel.

The ceasefire struck last month between Israel and the Paleostinians to end the Gazoo war including stipulations that the Paleostinian Authority, led by Abbas, should take over civil administration in Gazoo from Hamas.

But a dispute over the Paleostinian Authority's non-payment of salaries to Gazoo's public sector workers has brought tensions between the two main Paleostinian factions to near-braking point, raising the risk of a return to conflict.

Sakher Bseiso, a Fatah central committee member taking part in the talks, told Rooters Fatah and Hamas would discuss issues including security, elections and governance of the Gazoo Strip.

"The Cairo talks will discuss enabling the unity government to undertake its role in Gazoo Strip and (conduct) bilateral relations between the two movements," he said.

'Paleostinian-Paleostinian dialogue'
Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau, wrote on his Facebook page about "the Paleostinian-Paleostinian dialogue", saying: "The most important thing this dialogue needs is good intentions, mutual trust and national responsibility ... and commitment to what has been agreed upon."

Israel and the Paleostinians agreed on Tuesday to resume talks late next month on cementing a Gazoo ceasefire, allowing time for Paleostinian factions to resolve their divisions.

Egyptian security officials said Wednesday's meetings were occurring under the supervision of Egyptian intelligence but gave no details, not even the location of the talks.

Egyptian-mediated talks in July and August succeeded in securing a series of ceasefires aimed at laying the groundwork for talks on a broader deal.

Efforts to cement a permanent truce could prove difficult, though, with the sides far apart on their central demands, even if the dialogue among Paleostinians yields a unified position.

Azzam al-Ahmed, a Fatah official leading the joint delegation in Cairo, said on Tuesday that as well as control of Gazoo, Fatah wants decisions on war and peace to be taken at the national level rather than by individual factions.

Fifty days of conflict between Hamas and Israel some Gazoo districts devastated. More than 2,100 Paleostinians, most of them civilians, were killed in the fighting, according to the Gazoo health ministry.

Sixty-seven IDF soldiers and six civilians in Israel were also killed. Israel launched the offensive on July 8 with the declared aim of halting cross-border rocket salvoes by Hamas and other turban groups.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel to blame for Gaza ceasefire collapse

2014-08-20

Sharing with the world their own, unique version of events, heeeeere's Iran PressTV!

[Iran Press TV] Paleostinian officials have blamed Israel for the collapse of a temporary ceasefire in the Gazoo Strip as several Paleostinians are killed during fresh Israeli attacks.

"The ceasefire has collapsed and Israel is responsible," Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Paleostinian negotiating team in Cairo, said on Wednesday.

"We are leaving tomorrow, but we have not pulled out of negotiations," he stated, adding that the Paleostinians were waiting for Israel's response to their truce proposal.

"We will not come back (to Cairo) until Israel responds," Ahmed said.

Ahmed also said a peace agreement could have been reached, but it was Israel's decision to make the talks fail.

A Paleostinian infant was killed along with two adults in Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes against the besieged Gazoo Strip on Tuesday.

According to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, officials, despite the fact that a temporary truce was supposed to be in effect, there were at least 25 ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes across Gazoo on Tuesday.

Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding the blockaded sliver since early July, inflicting heavy losses on the coastal enclave.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

New Gaza truce to last five days

2014-08-14

[Al Ahram] A new ceasefire in Gazoo will last five days, Egypt and a senior Paleostinian negotiator said on Wednesday, just minutes before a previous truce was set to expire.

"An agreement to extend the ceasefire for five days has been accepted by both sides to allow more time for negotiations," an Egyptian foreign ministry statement said.

Chief Paleostinian negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed confirmed the ceasefire would last for five days, unlike two previous 72-hour lulls.

"There is an agreement on many points regarding lifting the siege," he said of a key Paleostinian demand to end an eight-year Israeli blockade of Gazoo. The negotiators needed more time to settle "some" remaining disputes, he told news hounds.

The joint Paleostinian delegation in Cairo will leave on Thursday to consult with their leaderships, he said. Sources told Ahram Online that Israel's delegation left Cairo late on Wednesday.

Al-Ahmed, a Fatah leading figure, warned earlier on Wednesday that the "situation is extremely" critical as talks produced no agreement.

"We will defend the interests of the Paleostinian people," Egypt's state-run news agency
...and if you can't believe the state-run news agency who can you believe?...
MENA reported on Wednesday.

The Paleostinian delegation officially presented its demands for a permanent ceasefire last week, including an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Gazoo, halting ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes, lifting the Israeli blockade on the coastal strip and releasing Paleostinian prisoners.

Israel's offensive on Gazoo, which began on 8 July, led to the death of more than 1,930 Paleostinians and the injury of more than 10,000 others.

Mutual of Gaza's motto: "Every splinter a casualty!"

A total of 64 soldiers were also killed as well as three civilians on the Israeli side.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IAF Launches Airstrikes on Terror Targets in Gaza

2014-08-14

[ISRAELNATIONALNEWS] The Israel Air Force attacked targets in Gazoo on Wednesday night, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed in a statement.

The attacks came after Gazoo forces of Evil fired rockets at southern Israel, the statement said.

"The IDF is prepared for this possibility and is determined to continue to maintain the security of the State of Israel," the statement noted.

An official from the Paleostinian Authority's interior ministry told AFP there were four air strikes over open ground.

Gazoo forces of Evil fired a barrage of rockets towards southern Israel on Wednesday night, just moments before one ceasefire was set to end and a new one to begin.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted one rocket over the city of Netivot. Two other rockets went kaboom! in the Sdot Negev region.

There were no physical injuries or damages.

The latest rocket fire came just before midnight, when a 72-hour ceasefire was set to end.

Moments before midnight, Israel and the Paleostinian Arabs agreed to extend the 72-hour ceasefire.

The new ceasefire will last five days, said senior Paleostinian negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed, after he and other officials initially spoke of another 72-hour lull.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas ready to hand over Gaza administration to unity govt.

2014-05-28

[Iran Press TV] The Gazoo-based Paleostinian resistance movement Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, has expressed readiness to hand over the administration of the besieged Gazoo Strip to a Paleostinian unity government.

The announcement was made in a Hamas cabinet statement issued on Tuesday, signaling that the two main Paleostinian political groups of Hamas and Fatah are closer to an agreement on national unity.

Deputy Prime Minister Ziad al-Zaza said the government "is ready to hand over its full responsibilities to the unity government," the statement said.

The Hamas cabinet also noted it held its 343rd and final weekly meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti...
Azzam al-Ahmed, an envoy from Fatah, said after talks in Gazoo with Hamas officials that the two groups "have finished consultations on the national consensus government."

On April 23, Hamas and the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO), which includes Fatah, pledged to settle their differences and form a unity government. Under the long-awaited deal, Hamas and Fatah are to establish the unity government within five weeks and hold national elections six months later.

The Israeli regime reacted to the act of reconciliation among the Paleostinians by canceling the so-called peace talks with the Paleostinian Authority and threatening sanctions against it.

The blockaded Gazoo Strip has been administered by Hamas while the Paleostinian Authority governs parts of the occupied West Bank.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Fatah Official's Gaza Visit Postponed Indefinitely

2014-05-22

Already? Who won the betting pool?

[AnNahar] A visit set for Wednesday by a senior Fatah official to the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-run Gazoo Strip to put the finishing touches on a Paleostinian unity government has been postponed indefinitely, a Paleostinian official said.

Last month, Hamas and the Paleostine Liberation Organization, dominated by Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
' Fatah party, signed a reconciliation deal aimed at ending years of political division.

Under the terms of the deal, the two sides would form an "independent government" of technocrats, to be headed by Abbas, that would pave the way for long-delayed elections.

The government is due to be formed by May 28, and a Hamas official said Sunday it could be finalized within days.

But a Fatah front man said the visit by Azzam al-Ahmed "will not take place today but at a later date to be announced, since time is needed to study what has been agreed with Hamas."

He did not elaborate.

Hamas front man Sami Abu Zuhri
...a senior spokesman for Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety in 2006 when he dropped his money belt containing somewhere between 640,000 and 900,000 euros, which was confiscated by Paleostinian security and customs officials at a routine border crossing from Egypt to Gaza. The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah forces to the crossing checkpoint for an epic face-making and hollering contest...
said "contacts are ongoing" between the two parties, without explaining the postponement.

Hamas, which does not recognize Israel, has ruled Gazoo since it expelled Fatah after a week of deadly festivities in 2007.

Fatah and Hamas representatives have already met several times for talks on a final government line-up to end their division.

The April reconciliation agreement incensed Israel, putting the final nail in the coffin of faltering U.S.-led peace talks with the Paleostinians.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Fayyad poised to submit resignation

2013-04-12

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad is to present his resignation to president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday, a senior Palestinian official said.

Abbas and Fayyad are known to have been at odds over a raft of issues but their relationship took a nose dive last month when Fayyad accepted his finance minister's resignation only for it to be rejected by Abbas.

"There will be a meeting between Abbas and Fayyad after the president returns (from Qatar) to settle Fayyad's resignation," Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior member of the ruling Fatah movement, told Voice of Palestine radio.

Earlier, a Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Fayyad had prepared a resignation letter on March 23, but had delayed handing it over because Abbas had been out of the country. Abbas was due to return later on Thursday from Doha where he has been attending Arab League meetings.

Another official, who also requested anonymity, said it was not certain Fayyad's resignation would be accepted.

Longstanding tensions between Fayyad and Abbas peaked on March 2 when Nabil Qassis announced he was standing down as finance minister. Abbas, who was abroad at the time, rejected the resignation but Fayyad agreed to it.

The crisis over the finance minister "was the reason for Fayyad's resignation," Ahmed said. "Fayyad will have to decide today whether to keep Qassis in his post, or to resign as head of the government."

Last week, the Fatah Revolutionary Council for the first time openly criticised Fayyad's government over its economic policy.

"The policies of the current Palestinian government are improvised and confused in many issues of finance and the economy," it said.

The criticism came as several high-ranking officials suggested Abbas might be about to dismiss Fayyad.

Fayyad held the finance portfolio as well as the premiership before Qassis's appointment in May 2012.

Abbas's Palestinian Authority is in serious financial crisis, partly as a result of non-disbursement of promised foreign funding, although the US Congress quietly unblocked $500 million in aid in March.

The financial crisis might also be because there are no spending controls in the Palestinian 'government', nor do the Palestinian-controlled areas make anything that the rest of the world wants to buy. It's a basket case, a charity run by the UNRWA for the benefit of the European elites and their children. No surprise that they lack money.

Certain bank accounts are no doubt piled high and deep with the stuff, though...

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Fatah and Hamas leaders meet for 'reconciliation' talks

2013-01-10

[FRANCE24] Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, exiled chief Khaled Meshaal began talks in Cairo late on Wednesday on a stalled reconciliation deal, an AFP correspondent said.

It is the first meeting between Fatah leader Abbas and Meshaal, who heads the Hamas movement that rules Gazoo, in almost a year, and is aimed at ending years of bitter rivalry between the two groups.

On their visit to Cairo, the two leaders also held separate meetings with Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi met Abbas and discussed reconciliation between Paleostinian factions, the Israeli blockade on the Gazoo Strip and the financial woes of the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority, which Abbas's Fatah dominates, an official said.

"Morsi promised to work towards lifting the Gazoo blockade and helping Paleostinians out of their financial crisis, lobbying donors and (our) Arab brothers," Fatah's lead negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP.

The Egyptian president also held separate talks with Meshaal.

Meshaal and Abbas are to discuss the implementation of a unity agreement reached in April 2011 which was aimed at ending years of infighting between their rival factions.

Years of bitter rivalry between the two Paleostinian national movements went kaboom! into violence in June 2007 when Hamas forces seized control of Gazoo a year after they won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.

Under Egyptian mediation, the two factions inked a unity agreement in May 2011, but the main provisions of that deal have yet to be implemented.

Egypt has boosted support for Gazoo since Islamist Morsi was elected president in June.

Meshaal met Abbas in Cairo in February 2012, but there has been little progress towards ending the crippling divide between their movements.

Link

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