Revised repeatedly since orig. posting in order to include background from May 16 onward and progress through Oct 21, 2018
Reverse date order — most recent first. Journalist/pub’n statements & views may or may not be accurate, objective, etc … Scroll waaaay down to the LAST set of maps for initial articles of analysis.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/israel-reopens-people-goods-crossings-to-gaza-statement/articleshow/66301008.cms Israel reopens people, goods crossings to Gaza: statement —AFP|Oct 21, 2018, 11.07 AM IST
Israel ordered the country's goods and people border crossings with Gaza to be opened on Sunday, just four days after shuttering them following a Palestinian rocket attack that sparked retaliatory strikes.
"The decision comes after a decrease in the violent events in Gaza over the weekend and efforts (militant Islamist Gaza rulers) Hamas made to restrain" demonstrators, a statement from Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman office read….
https://madamasr.com/en/2018/10/20/feature/politics/last-minute-egyptian-delegation-visit-subdues-friday-marches-de-escalates-potential-for-war-in-gaza/ Last minute Egyptian delegation visit subdues Friday marches, de-escalates potential for war in Gaza By Ahmad Shehada — October 20, 2018
The same message was blaring out from the vans fitted with large sound systems that made their way around Gaza in the days leading up to this week’s protest: “The National Organization of Return invites you to participate in this Friday’s protests.” Mobilizers were encouraging Gazans to assemble at demonstration points near the fence that encircles the besieged coastal enclave for a march that looked to be a litmus test for war.
These vans have been a common part of the story in the six months since the Great March of Return protests began. ...This week, however, the protests seemed to take on greater import … after a series of setbacks and renewed violence. A planned Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS) delegation visit to Gaza led by GIS head Abbas Kamel was called off late on Wednesday amid the tension. By midday on Thursday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s military wings each published video messages addressed to the Israeli military, insinuating their readiness for war. And then on Thursday night, in an about-turn, reports emerged that an Egyptian delegation was on its way to Gaza for a rushed meeting, which was conducted at senior Hamas political official Ismail Haniyeh’s house.
The Egyptian delegation consisted of Major General Ahmad Abdel Khaliq, who is in charge of the Palestinian file, in addition to Hamam Abu Zeid, Ayman Abu Mousa, and Mustafa Gamil, officials from the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv. ...
...Despite the preparations and rhetoric however, there were notably fewer protesters and incendiary balloons launched during Friday’s protest. The black smoke from burning tires that protesters have used to provide cover from sniper fire was less opaque.
Demonstrators did attempt to launch some incendiary balloons into the air, but these efforts were met by Israeli army drones and anti-personnel rockets.
Whereas previous marches have seen scores of Palestinian fatalities, the generally subdued nature of Friday’s protests was reflected in the relatively lower number of casualties. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, “130 protesters were injured by bullets, including 25 children, and four staff members of the ministry and journalists.”
According to a second source close to Hamas, who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, the decision to de-escalate the marches was agreed upon late on Thursday night, after the meeting with the Egyptian delegation ... in exchange for promised alleviation to the humanitarian condition in Gaza...
“[Egypt assured Hamas that] if Hamas gives this week a chance for peace, Israel will allow good projects from the UN to enter Gaza, in addition to revoking the decisions to close the Karm Abu Salem and Erez border crossings and re-allowing entrance of the fuel powering Gaza’s sole power plant after an eight-day halt,” the source says, adding that Qatar has already shown a readiness to provide the financial aid needed by Gazans through UN projects.
Qatar is aligned to be the main donor in easing the siege over Gaza, as the Gulf state has already paid US$60 million for the fuel powering Gaza’s power plant for the next six months, in addition to $150 million promised to be paid as emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza. In the latest framework for Palestinian reconciliation–a new Egypt-sponsored proposal that was finalized and sent to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for review following a meeting in Cairo at the beginning of October–Qatar would also assume responsibility for funding 50 percent of Gaza’s administrative employees’ salaries during a three-month transition period, during which the PA would take full control over Gaza’s ministries and administrative departments while a new unified government is being formed, according to what a source close to the PA told Mada Masr last week...
….In his comments after Friday’s march, Hayya seemed intent not to admit there had been an intentional de-escalation in the popular movement, long a bargaining point of Israel and Egypt in truce talks…
While the earlier truce deal sought to end violence between Gaza and Israel by reopening border crossings, expanding the Mediterranean fishing zone and rebuilding Gaza’s infrastructure, the new deal centered on the entrance of humanitarian aid into the strip funded chiefly by Qatar and under United Nations’ supervision, in addition to a potential prisoner swap.
Before the recent visit, there were a series of fraught back-and-forths between the West Bank and Gaza mediated by Egypt, culminating in Egypt and the PA’s decision to freeze the truce deal in early September, insisting that no agreement with Israel was possible before Fatah and Hamas reconciled.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-10-19/gaza-conflict-why-netanyahu-called-over-a-war Why Netanyahu Called Off a War in Gaza: Recent attacks have many Israelis calling for a robust military reaction. But past experience shows there are better ways. — By Zev Chafets — October 19, 2018, 12:00 AM PDT
Israelis within missile range of the Gaza Strip went to bed with trepidation Wednesday night, unsure whether a full-scale war in Gaza was imminent. Israel's Security Cabinet had convened for a midnight emergency session Wednesday, following Tuesday’s attack on Beersheba, Israel's largest southern city.
By Thursday, though, it was business as usual. The government's decision not to respond with a major military campaign shows both the limited options available on Gaza and the nature of Israel's defense priorities.
The attack might have been seen as a casus belli. A missile had landed on the home of a single mother and her three children, destroying it; the family escaped with their lives only by using their bomb shelter. Hamas and Islamic Jihad took the unusual step of distancing themselves from the rocket launches, but the denials aren't credible; nobody else in Gaza has Grad missiles.
QuicktakeHamas
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman had publicly called for a powerful military response. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, cut short his visit to the U.S. and arrived with operative plans. Hamas and Islamic Jihad took the unusual step of distancing themselves from the rocket launches,[bolding added] but the denials aren't credible; nobody else in Gaza has the longer-range Grad missiles.
Leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad went into hiding, fully expecting a major response. The IDF instead announced that it was safe to reopen schools and resume normal activity. The security cabinet instructed the army to increase its range of fire at border demonstrations and take stronger measures against balloon attacks, but these are tweaks of existing policy, rather than a major escalation…..
….The IDF has an Iron Dome missile system capable of bringing down most incoming rockets (although the Dome was unaccountably absent in Beersheba). It has techniques to detect and destroy the infiltration tunnels that Hamas once considered strategic weapons. And, under Netanyahu, it is now constructing a barrier -- one that is both high and deep to prevent tunneling -- along its entire Gaza land and sea border.
Hamas has shown ingenuity in the face of these obstacles. The IDF has no answer yet for its incendiary balloons, which have burned down large swaths of Israel’s southwestern agricultural fields and forests. Nor has it been able to end the increasingly violent Hamas-led demonstrations on the border. But these are tactics, not strategic threats. Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza, is under no illusions. As he recently told an interviewer, “no one wants to fight a nuclear power with four slingshots.”
The truth is, Hamas is too weak to be anything but a military annoyance. Netanyahu understands this, even if it is a hard message to convey to the Israeli public, especially those who live near the border and find themselves living with burning fields, stray rockets and frequent interruptions of daily life. In an election year, quick-fix prescriptions by hawks like the defense minister may have voter appeal.
But if the polls are any guide, Bibi will coast to another term. He doesn’t need a dazzling victory or bellicose rhetoric. Nor is this primarily a political calculation. Netanyahu is focused on the threat posed by Iran and its proxies in Lebanon and Syria. He does not want the IDF tied
down in Gaza, even for a brief period. He needs the military budgets and personnel for the northern war.
Yes, the prime minister would like to reach a deal with Sinwar: Israeli economic cooperation in return for a long-term ceasefire. But if Hamas wants to keep fighting, it is a problem that can be dealt with by technology, targeted killings and an occasional airstrike. Bibi is determined to keep himself, and his army, out of the Gaza briar patch.
This column does not necessarily reflectthe opinion
of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
To contact the author of this story:
Zev Chafets at zchafets@gmail.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.net
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/17/10/2018/Egyptian-mediators-race-to-restore-calm-in-Gaza Egyptian mediators race to restore calm in Gaza — 17 Oct 2018 - 21:18
By Fares Akram & Josef Federman I Associated Press
Gaza CITY: A high-level Egyptian delegation on Wednesday held urgent talks with Gaza's Hamas rulers, seeking to restore calm after a rocket from the Palestinian area slammed into a home in southern Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes on Hamas targets.
The pre-dawn flare-up in violence appeared to be pushing the region toward another conflagration between the bitter enemies. But by late Wednesday, there were signs that the situation was calming down.
As the Egyptian mediators arrived, Hamas and a second militant group, Islamic Jihad, issued a joint statement that made criticism of the rocket attack, suggesting that they were trying to defuse the situation.[bolding added]
"We reject all irresponsible attempts that try to change the direction and sabotage the Egyptian efforts, including the overnight firing of the rocket," they said…..
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/pa-qatar-fuel-gaza-tankers-rejection-un-electricity-pressure.html Liberman halts Qatar's $60 million fuel flow to Gaza Strip — Ahmad Abu Amer October 17, 2018
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Just days after fuel tankers began delivering much-needed diesel oil to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 9, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman halted the shipments … Liberman tweeted Oct. 13, "As long as the events continue on the border and fire balloons continue to be launched toward Israel, no fuel shall be transferred to Gaza.” The protests continued, however, and on Oct. 16, an Israel Defense Forces plane fired on Palestinians allegedly launching the balloons. No casualties were reported.
Liberman's action was widely rejected by Israeli Security Cabinet members, who voiced concern that it would only aggravate the security situation on the border.[bolding added]
The tankers that were allowed to cross the border were carrying the first shipments of $60 million worth of oil Qatar purchased from Israel's Paz Oil Co. to help alleviate the desperate conditions in the Gaza Strip. The fuel would help provide residents with eight hours of electricity a day, instead of the current four, for six months.
The shipments were arranged under an agreement between Qatar and the United Nations. The deal bypassed Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been imposing severe sanctions on Gaza for years. Abbas' Fatah party controls the West Bank territory and would like to control the Gaza Strip as well; the rival Hamas movement currently administers the latter.
Even before Liberman suspended the shipments, the PA was already trying to prevent fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip, threatening to stop dealing with Paz Oil if it proceeded with the agreement. This prompted the Israeli government to call on small companies to transfer fuel to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.[bolding added]
In 2006, the PA signed a two-year agreement with Paz Oil to transfer fuel to the Palestinian territories at a cost to be deducted from the Palestinian taxes paid to Israel on a monthly basis. The agreement is renewed every two years.
An official at the Gaza power plant told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that, in addition to the fuel deal being made without the PA’s consent, the PA is mostly annoyed because its treasury won't receive taxes it would have otherwise collected. The PA imposes a tax of 56% on each liter of fuel purchased by Palestinian citizens. Over the first eight months of 2018, the PA collected fuel taxes of approximately 1.65 billion shekels ($458.3 million).
Each of the trucks entering Gaza carried some 35,000 liters (about 9,250 gallons) of fuel…..
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2018/10/10/gaza-power-plant-resumes-with-qatar-donated-fuel_600e7345-ce95-463a-8ee7-7a45aa50fb07.html Gaza power plant resumes with Qatar-donated fuel. Arguments between Hamas and Palestinian National Authority — 10 October, 13:21
GAZA - Gaza's power plant has resumed activity at maximum capacity on Wednesday, following a delivery of fuel donated by Qatar that came to Gaza from Israel on Tuesday, with help from the UN.
Additional fuel is expected to arrive Wednesday and in the coming weeks.
Local sources said Gaza residents have already seen a slight improvement in electricity provided to their homes on Wednesday, from four hours of electricity to six hours.
Meanwhile, Hamas has gone back to accusing the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of trying to block the fuel supply.
"The government of Rami Hamdallah spares no efforts in suffocating the people of Gaza," said Fawzi Barhum, a Hamas spokesman.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will support the efforts of UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov to reduce tensions between Gaza and Israel.
The PNA fears that cooperation between Israel and Qatar is part of international plans aimed at widening the fracture between the West Bank and Gaza.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/253065 Qatar pledges $150 million in aid to Gaza:A day after buying fuel for Gaza power plant, Qatar pledges $150 million in aid for the coastal enclave. — 11/10/18 04:03
Qatar on Wednesday pledged $150 million in aid for Gaza, a day after fuel purchased by the Gulf state arrived at the only power station [via Israel] in the Hamas-run enclave.
A statement from Doha's foreign ministry quoted by AFP said the money had been pledged via the Qatar Development Fund, the government body responsible for distributing the country's foreign aid.
...It added that the United Nations Development Program would oversee distribution of the aid.
The UN estimated the value of Qatar's earlier donation of fuel at $60 million…..
10th Update — Oct 9, 2018
Fuel allowed into Gaza for sole functioning power plant: Palestinian officials tight-lipped about source of fuel; Al Jazeera reports it was provided by Qatar
Two fuel-laden trucks entered the blockaded Gaza Strip on Tuesday from Israel via the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing.
According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene, the trucks were seen heading towards Gaza’s sole functioning electricity plant.
While Palestinian officials have been tight-lipped regarding the source of the fuel, Al Jazeera reported earlier that it had been provided by Qatar.
Last week, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that a deal had been struck with Qatar regarding means of funding fuel procurements for Gaza.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a crippling Israeli blockade that has deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of several vital commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/defying-abbas-israel-allows-qatari-funded-fuel-into-gaza-strip-1.6545230 Defying Abbas, Israel Allows Qatari-funded Fuel Into Gaza Strip: Egyptian intelligence chief set to visit Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Amman in coming days ■ Egypt expected to threaten Abbas: Cooperate with negotiations or face being shut out — Jack Khoury and Yaniv Kubovich — Oct 09, 2018 2:01 PM
Diesel fuel funded by the Gulf state of Qatar has begun arriving in the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel on Tuesday, Palestinian sources in Gaza reported.
According to the reports, two trucks carrying a total of 35,000 liters (9,200 gallons) of fuel arrived at the border crossing in the company of United Nations vehicles. Israel confirmed the delivery of several diesel drums through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Electricity is supplied on average for four hours a day in Gaza and over the past year, the only power plant in the Strip has had to shut down several times due to shortages of diesel fuel.
>> Gaza tension: Abbas-Hamas rift threatens
to blow up in Israel's face | Analysis <<
It is not yet clear if the quantity of fuel that has been delivered will improve boost electricity supplies for Gaza residents and whether Qatar has committed to provide long-term supplies of fuel to the Hamas-controlled enclave.
It is also not clear whether the supply of the fuel is being provided with the approval of the Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas by force in 2007.
Despite the Israeli security establishment warning against moving forward with reconciliation without Abbas' involvement, it supported the fuel transfer. This was in light of the humanitarian condition in Gaza, which was deemed too fragile to risk, with diesel fuel being essential to power vital infrastructures and electricity.
As reported last week, as part of an arrangement put in place over the past several weeks, Qatar agreed to fund the purchase of the fuel required to power the electricity generating station in Gaza…..
The contact over fuel supplies have been conducted in recent months under the direction of UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov. Qatar was represented by Mohammed al-Emadi, who has acted as a contact between the Gulf state and Israel and the territories.
The issue has been handled for the most part on Israel's behalf by Meir Ben-Shabbat, the head of the National Security Council.
A breakthrough on the issue was achieved at a conference last week in New York of donor countries providing assistance to the Palestinians on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.
Egypt intelligence chief to visit Israel, West Bank
On Tuesday, the Qatari-sponsored London daily Al-Arabi reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel will visit Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Amman in the coming days as part of tour meant to promote a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Kamel is set to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the report said, and convey a conclusive message from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi that he must cooperate with efforts to move towards calm and rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip, as well as advancing a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Otherwise Egypt will withdraw as mediator and sponsor of the negotiations and will work exclusively with Hamas as sovereign of Gaza, and the one responsible for the Strip's border with Sinai.
It was also reported that Kamel will present Abbas with the terms consolidated with Hamas leadership during their visit to Cairo last week. He will also ask for Jordan to support of Egypt's efforts, as Amman still back Abbas' stance.
Abbas opposes any concessions or assistance to the Strip without the supervision and cooperation of the PA, which he stipulates on Hamas relinquishing control of Gaza.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza Strip citizens and factions are keeping a wary eye on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has threatened to take measures in October against Hamas.
On Sept. 27, Abbas said during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly that If Hamas continues to refuse reconciliation, “We would refuse to accept any responsibility [for Gaza] moving forward.”
This comes soon after Egypt's repeated attempts to mediate a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah faltered again, and the factions resumed their mutual recriminations. Abbas and his Fatah party rule the West Bank territory from Ramallah, while Hamas administers the Gaza Strip. The reconciliation agreement they signed in October 2017 to form a unity government never panned out despite several attempts at resuscitation.
Contributing to the most recent failure were Hamas' efforts, also via Egypt, to sign a truce with Israel without including Fatah. Abbas and Fatah are adamantly against those efforts, claiming the PLO is the only party authorized to sign agreements with foreign countries. Abbas threatened Aug. 17 to stop transferring any money to the Gaza Strip should Hamas sign a truce with Israel. This very threat led the negotiations between Hamas and Fatah to falter once again, but Egypt has once again agreed to pick up the effort.
Hamas parliament members in Gaza met Sept. 26 to discuss “the end of President Mahmoud Abbas’ mandate.”
Ahmed Bahr, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said at the beginning of the session, “Abbas, who is starving our people while seeking to disarm the resistance and coordinate security with Israel, does not represent the Palestinian people. He only represents himself.”
During the same session, parliament member Faraj al-Ghoul said Abbas “has been abusing power since the end of his term in January 2009,” and called on all Palestinian factions to draw up a comprehensive plan to address the president’s threats. (Abbas was elected to a four-year term that officially expired in 2009, but has remained in office.)
The Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by Abbas, imposed financial sanctions on the Gaza Strip at the beginning of March 2017, as it slashed salaries for the authority's staff there by 30% to 50% and deprived the territory of liquidity — moves that significantly contributed to the difficult economic situation plaguing all of Gaza’s residents, not only Hamas.
Abbas will be waiting for Hamas’ response to the Egyptian mediator regarding proposals to end Palestinian division. Chief among these proposals is Hamas handing responsibility for the Gaza Strip government to the PA, as well as turning over all the factions' arms.
Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah’s central committee, told Al-Monitor that Abbas gave Hamas until the first week of October to respond to Egypt's mediation. He said the measures to be taken against Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be disclosed in a timely manner, but he neither confirmed nor denied whether Abbas has received any response from Hamas via Egypt.
A source close to Abbas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Hamas is delaying the reconciliation process and is still negative about the issue of the returning complete control of the Gaza Strip to the PA. The source stressed that the PLO Central Council will discuss several steps that could be taken during its October meeting, and that these will come as a surprise to the Hamas movement.
The measures, he said, have been under examination for months now by order of the president. Chief among these is halting all of the government’s expenditures to Gaza, which are estimated at $96 million per month in salaries and ministry operation expenses.
Yahya Moussa, a Hamas leader and deputy head of the movement’s parliamentary bloc, told Al-Monitor the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip are meeting daily to discuss what measures Abbas might take against them.
Moussa said that the factions are against the sanctions that were formerly imposed and that might be imposed again on the Gaza Strip, and that the factions will announce their countermeasures when the time is right. Such measures include delegitimizing Abbas.
Moussa said Hamas' position, which they communicated to Qatari and Egyptian mediators during their last visits to Gaza on Sept. 14 and Sept. 22, respectively, is that sanctions must be lifted immediately before there are talks about empowering Abbas' government. He noted that Hamas had actually handed over control of its ministries and the Gaza Strip crossings in October and November of 2017, but that Ramallah is still neglecting the Gazan population.
On Sept. 24, the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel website quoted well-informed Palestinian sources as saying the Egyptian delegation that had visited two days earlier had only one option to offer: adopt Abbas’ vision regarding reconciliation. The Hamas leadership asked the delegation to pressure Abbas into refraining from taking any actions against the Gaza Strip.
After the Egyptian delegation left the Gaza Strip, tension escalated on the border with Israel as popular demonstrations turned into daily events and protesters resumed arson attacks using fire balloons.
Hani al-Thawabta, a member of the central committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, warned in an interview with Al-Monitor against Abbas imposing new sanctions. He said that not only would such measures target Hamas but also every citizen in the Gaza Strip.
Mustafa al-Sawaf, former editor-in-chief of the Felesteen newspaper and a political analyst, told Al-Monitor the Palestinian factions have several options to weigh in light of the potential new sanctions. As Moussa said, chief among these is delegitimizing Abbas and refraining from dealing with him as the Palestinian president.
He said the PA collects more than $120 million a month from the Gaza Strip in exchange for goods. He wondered, “Where do such funds and those deducted on a monthly basis from the salaries of Gaza government staff go?”
Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip have suffered greatly from the internal Palestinian division and the measures imposed by the PA in March 2017. A Sept. 24 report by the World Bank confirmed that the Israeli siege, the PA decision to reduce its funding to the Gaza Strip and the US aid cuts have contributed to an unemployment rate in Gaza that exceeds 50%, and that has reached a staggering 70% among its young people.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/qatar-offered-israel-deal-to-stop-gaza-protests-report-1.772924 [UAE] — September 22, 2018: Updated September 22, 2018 09:51 PM Qatar offered Israel deal to stop Gaza protests: report — Israeli diplomat reveals approach by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani's intermediaries
Qatar approached Israel to offer a deal to prevent protests in Gaza during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem in May, an Israeli diplomat has revealed.
The proposed "package deal" involving Israel, Egypt and the US was put forward by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani through two of his confidants, French Jewish businessman Philippe Solomon and Rabbi Avraham Moyal, according to Carmel Shama-Hacohen, the former Israeli ambassador to Unesco.
Mr Shama-Hacohen told Israel's Channel 10 last week that the two men gave him a letter from Qatari minister suggesting the deal with the Hamas group that controls Gaza, and claiming that its leaders including Ismail Haniyeh had agreed to it. He said he relayed the message to the Israeli government, but Qatar's suggestion of a phone call between its emir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rejected and Israel instead asked for a written proposal from the Qataris.
Mr Solomon and Rabbi Moyal carried the Qatari proposal to Jerusalem. According to Mr Shama-Hacohen, he read the letter and informed Mr Netanyahu's office of its contents. A representative of Israel's national security adviser who was sent to meet the Qatari envoys demanded to read it as well, but Rabbi Moyal insisted that it could only be seen by the prime minister himself. Ultimately, the letter never reached Mr Netanyahu.
According to the Channel 10 report, the Qatari deal offered investments in Gaza's infrastructure in exchange for Hamas ending the weekly protests staged along the territory's border with Israel since March.
Sept 18 - 9th Update since orig. post.
http://jordantimes.com/opinion/osama-al-sharif/gaza-protests-now-political-card-hamas%E2%80%99-hands Gaza protests now a political card in Hamas’ hands Sep 18,2018 - Last updated at Sep 18,2018
same author: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1373966 Wednesday . September 19, 2018 Hamas has hijacked Gaza protests to use as a bargaining chip
https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-says-mogul-lauder-floated-backchannel-to-netanyahu/ 18 September 2018, 3:44 pm
...World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder proposed running a backchannel between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestinian leader said this week, but the initiative ultimately fizzled.
Abbas told a group of former Israeli lawmakers that Lauder, who has been involved as a conduit between Netanyahu and Arab leaders for decades, floated the idea to him several months ago, according to former justice minister Yossi Beilin, who was at the meeting.…
...Former Labor MK Efi Oshaya, who was also at the meeting, confirmed Abbas’s talk of Lauder’s backchannel proposal…
Both Beilin and Oshaya said that Abbas did not provide any explanation as to why the line of communication did not materialize...
The comments came during a Sunday evening meeting at the PA presidential headquarters in Ramallah. Former lawmakers Ophir Pinez-Paz, Yair Tzaban, Yosef Vanunu and others also participated.
An official in Abbas’s office, who asked to remain unnamed, said that... Abbas had told Lauder he would only participate in the line of communication if Israel enacts a freeze on settlement building….
Nabil Shaath, Abbas’s adviser for international affairs, said he had not been generally aware of such a proposal for a line of communication...
In the past several years, Abbas and Netanyahu have rarely communicated with each other. The two have not met for talks since 2010, at the tail end of a settlement freeze. Lower-level talks launched in 2014 failed to garner any breakthroughs and eventually fell apart.
A spokesperson for Lauder said that the billionaire does not comment on private conversations.
...the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
Abbas and Lauder, an heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire and head of the World Jewish Congress, have met several times in the past. The mogul has been dispatched by Netanyahu in the past as a go-between with Arab leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In May 2017, Maariv reported that Lauder hosted Abbas in his home in New York to prepare him for his first meeting with Trump on May 3, 2017. In the same month, The New York Times reported that Lauder had been “prodding Mr. Trump to forge an alliance with Abbas.”...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-to-meet-macron-who-will-likely-urge-him-not-to-give-up-on-peace/ 17 September 2018, 11:42 am
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/palestinian-president-mahmoud-abbas-to-visit-ireland-869347.html 16/09/2018 - 16:13:42
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Ireland next weekend accompanied by a high-level delegation, it has been announced.
The stopover will come on President Abbas's journey to the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York.
President Abbas will pay a courtesy call on President Higgins before holding a formal meeting and working dinner with the Tánaiste Simon Coveney at Farmleigh.
Among the topics expected to be discussed are the humanitarian and security situation in Gaza and the West Bank, the funding crisis for UNRWA, and the future of the Middle East Peace Process.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/hamas-walk-fine-line-deterrence-escalation-180915053438464.html 16 Sept 2018 Can Hamas walk the fine line between deterrence and escalation? “Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza have launched rockets at Israel in what they call a response to aggression….”
More than a month has passed since the last significant exchange of fire between the Israeli military and Palestinian factions in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Thus, despite a number of significant and deadly flare-ups, the summer passed without a new large-scale Israeli assault on the blockaded territory materialising.
While Israeli military strategy has long relied on deterrence - the idea that short, sharp shocks to enemy forces and civilian population will secure periods of "quiet" - events this summer beg the question whether Hamas and other factions in Gaza have established their own deterrence.
"Hamas is trying to avoid escalation as much as possible, and to give a chance to the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip", Basem Naim, a member of Hamas' international relations bureau, told Al Jazeera.
"But at the same time, Hamas has been trying, on different occasions, to send the message that we have the right to defend ourselves, the right to resist the occupation, and the moral duty not to accept dying in silence".
On 29 May, al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades claimed joint responsibility for mortar fire that they said was a response to Israeli aggression over the previous 48 hours -
https://thearabweekly.com/why-idea-palestinian-jordanian-confederation-getting-second-lease-life Why is the idea of Palestinian-Jordanian confederation getting a second lease on life? Sunday 16/09/2018
Abbas knows that the confederation scheme is far from simple. His action must be considered as throwing a pebble into a still pond.
It has become apparent that many analyses and interpretations of events related to the Palestinian situation relied too much on the so-called “Deal of the Century.”
Thus, among developments considered part of the supposed deal, there are US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the subsequent moving of the US Embassy there, the suspension of US financial aid to the Palestinians, the suspension of US contributions to UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and discussions about a long-term ceasefire in Gaza.
The list includes all kinds of positions, statements or decisions from this or that capital or from this or that Palestinian official but could Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s confederation be one more instrument in dealing with Trump’s strange deal?
The idea of a confederation is the latest novelty among many others that have come and gone with the seasons. It was released as a test balloon and for other purposes as well but it might have theoretical merit and ought to be investigated….
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-world-turned-upside-down-israel-angry-at-abbas-for-taking-hard-line-on-hamas/ 17 September 2018, 1:43 pm OP ED
The flood of security incidents in the past week on Israel’s various frontiers — along the southern border with Hamas-run Gaza, the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, and in the West Bank — demonstrates, for the umpteenth time, that Israeli hopes for peace and quiet are based on a fantasy.
Iranian involvement in Syria is here to stay. Tehran has invested in the war-torn country heavily, in terms of both finances and manpower, to ensure that President Bashar Assad remains in power, and it has no intention of giving up its reward in Syria when the fighting ends.
Furthermore, the agreements between Jerusalem and Moscow on keeping Iranian forces far from the border, which have received much coverage in Israel, are not expected to change Tehran’s strategy in Syria.
The attack overnight Saturday-Sunday on the airport near Damascus, which was attributed to Israel, is unlikely to be the last such incident in the foreseeable future.
Hours afterward, after a months-long lull in lone-wolf incidents, came the terror attack in the Etzion Bloc, not sponsored by any specific terror group, in which US-born Israeli Ari Fuld was stabbed to death.
Then, in the evening, an army bus that accidentally entered the Qalandiya refugee camp was stoned by Palestinians, and three soldiers and a border guard were lightly injured. That incident could have ended much worse for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Once again we are reminded how volatile the West Bank is; the relative quiet is illusive, and does not represent reality.
The truth is that hatred toward Israel is on the rise in the territories, and the relatively low number of terror attacks is due to the successes of Israeli and Palestinian security forces. Strange as this may sound, despite the ongoing political schism between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the open hatred between Ramallah and Washington, the security coordination remains in place, at the direction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and both Israeli and Palestinian security forces have a share in preventing attacks on Israelis.
Meanwhile in Gaza, it is hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. After a particularly stormy Friday when three Palestinians were killed, Sunday again saw riots along the border.
With its actions, Hamas has shown that it does not intend to allow a full ceasefire, even if at this point it does not want events to spiral out of control. In light of the freeze in joint efforts by Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to keep things quiet in Gaza, it is possible that within the next few days or weeks Hamas will again signal that it wants an escalation. Although the terror group that rules Gaza is not out for full-blown war, it will want to deliver a credible threat of one.
On Monday, a delegation of senior Fatah officials is expected to arrive in Cairo to restart reconciliation discussions with Hamas….
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/16/opinions/israel-palestinians-two-state-solution-trump-ben-ami/index.html Updated 2:34 PM ET, Sun September 16, 2018
Editor’s note: Jeremy Ben-Ami is the founder and president of J Street, the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN.
……President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the very concept of negotiations. He seems to be advancing a delusional narrative that a peace agreement can be imposed on the Palestinians..
https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/hamas-long-term-truce/ [Begin-Sadat Ctr for Strategic Studies] How Feasible Is a Long-Term Truce with Hamas? Yaakov Lapin — September 14, 2018
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 947, September 14, 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The prospect of a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas brings with it both risks and opportunities. While it remains far from clear that such an arrangement is even feasible, Israel is giving Egyptian mediation efforts a chance.
At present, the Israel-Hamas truce is based on the minimal formula of ‘quiet for quiet.’….
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-hamas-deal-stalls-the-good-news-no-one-wants-another-war-1.6470520 Analysis // The Bad News: Israel-Hamas Deal Stalls. The Good News: No One Wants Another War “Netanyahu signals he seeks a Hamas deal without a prisoner exchange ■ Trump makes momentous declarations without considering the consequences” by Amos Harel — Sep 14, 2018 1:01 AM [middle-east time]
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/palestine-egypt-suspends-truce-talks-hamas-fatah-israel.html Fatah brings Hamas-Israel truce talks back to square one READ IN: العربية Adnan Abu Amer September 14, 2018
Photo caption: Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets with Egyptian intelligence representative Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi in Ramallah, West Bank, in a still from a video recorded Sept. 1, 2018. “Article Summary: After meeting recently with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt has frozen the truce talks between Hamas and Israel and will focus its efforts on reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
Egypt has suspended truce talks it had been brokering between Hamas and Israel, apparently as a result of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' strident objection to any negotiations with Israel that don't include him.
The abrupt change in course raises fears that the situation in Gaza may worsen again, leading to further escalation with Israel.
Egypt expressed its sudden shift after a Sept. 1 meeting between Egyptian intelligence, Abbas and his Fatah party's leadership in Ramallah in the West Bank. Hamas administers the Gaza Strip and has been at odds with Abbas and Fatah since a violent split in 2007. Hamas is trying to ease the desperate conditions in Gaza that resulted from Israel's 11-year blockade and punitive measures Abbas has imposed.
Egypt's intelligence representative, Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi, stressed after the Sept. 1 meeting that Egypt will maintain its efforts to achieve a Palestinian truce with Israel, but within a framework that acknowledges Abbas' authority. In the meantime, Cairo will focus on reconciling Hamas and Fatah. The factions supposedly agreed in theory in October to a rapprochement, but the process has sputtered futilely since then.
Egypt and the United Nations had mediated truce talks between Hamas and Israel since mid-May, and recently an agreement seemed assured. But since the talks were frozen, Palestinians have resumed the violent Marches of Return at the Gaza Strip borders.
Salah al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ political bureau and of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), told Al-Monitor, “The [Palestinian Authority (PA)] pressured Egypt to link the truce and lifting of the siege on Gaza to the condition of achieving reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. However, by rejecting the faction's calls to end the siege, President Abbas forced Egypt to end its efforts to reach a truce. President Abbas was clearly trying to evade a truce, which doesn't make any sense.”
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar met Sept. 4 with young Palestinians in Gaza City to brief them on political developments. He said he wasn't satisfied with the performance of mediators involved in the truce talks. Meanwhile, his deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, had said Aug. 30, in a meeting organized by the Palestinian Media Forum with journalists in Gaza City that Hamas doesn't want a truce with Israel to hinge on an internal Palestinian reconciliation.
It’s no secret that efforts made by local, regional and international parties to conclude a truce between Hamas and Israel have been decreasing recently. As a result, Israel is finding pretexts to dodge any commitments made to the resistance through mediators and envoys. The situation has clearly worsened, since only a few weeks ago the truce talks had reached advanced stages.
On Sept. 9, Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper cited anonymous Palestinian sources as saying Israel is behind the truce's failure, noting that Israel refuses to move forward without resolving the issue of its captured soldiers with Hamas. In addition, Israel insists that Hamas stop building tunnels and smuggling weapons into Gaza, the sources said.
Leaks made it to the press in late August about an imminent truce. Talks were then suddenly halted: No envoys visited Gaza, no Hamas leader visited Cairo and the truce was no longer topping headlines.
Palestinian political writer Saleh al-Naami told Al-Monitor, “All signs point to the Palestinian factions being victims of disinformation. No real progress was made in terms of concluding a truce. We are now back to square one in light of the complicated situation in Gaza. It seems that the PA's position to suspend the truce was part of a premeditated plan by Israel, Egypt and Washington.”
A quick review of the positions expressed by the parties involved in the truce shows Egypt is closer to Fatah than Hamas in terms of policy, and nothing would make it clash with the PA to reach a truce in Gaza that could give Hamas any field achievements. This is why communication between Ramallah and Cairo has increased in recent days.
The United Nations, another partner in the truce talks, is carefully trying to remain a neutral intermediary between Hamas and Israel. UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov appeared to be a message carrier rather than a mediator who would influence both sides. He even accused certain parties on Sept. 5 of seeking a war between Hamas and Israel by blocking truce efforts, without giving further explanation.
Abdullah Abdullah, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council and chairman of the PLC’s political committee, told Al-Monitor, “The PA is not against a truce in Gaza, but Hamas is trying to reach this truce with Israel unilaterally so it can continue to impose its control over Gaza. It is thus sidestepping the [PLO], and we cannot allow it. No faction should conclude an agreement with Israel in isolation from the rest of the Palestinian forces.”
Meanwhile, Israel never seemed to be rushing into indirect talks with Hamas. Perhaps it wanted to buy more time and succeeded in allowing its residents to spend the summer vacation in settlements in Gaza in peace without any war sirens and rocket fire.
Israel has issued several statements in recent days expressing that it wants stricter conditions for concluding a truce, such as handing over Israeli soldiers detained by Hamas in Gaza, which the movement rejects. Hamas stressed that the prisoner exchange issue is a separate one; it has nothing to do with the truce through which the movement aims to improve the living conditions in Gaza.
Maj. Gen. Wasef Erekat, a Palestinian military expert in the West Bank and former artillery commander of the PLO forces, told Al-Monitor, “The stalemate of the truce talks may open the way for a real, gradual escalation between the resistance and Israel. There is no guarantee that a confrontation can be avoided. On the contrary, the way may be paved for such a battle after the new escalation recently in Gaza.”
The chances, albeit minimal, of an armed confrontation could tip the balance in favor of suspending truce talks once and for all. As a result, a broad battle could erupt — a scenario that Hamas is trying to at least postpone.
http://www.jordantimes.com/news/region/israel-reopens-its-sole-people-crossing-gaza Israel reopens its sole people crossing with Gaza By AFP - Sep 13,2018
Israel reopened its only crossing for people with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, more than a week after shutting it following a destructive Palestinian protest.
The reopening follows several days of relative calm, as Egyptian and UN officials attempt to broker a long-term truce between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees the Erez crossing confirmed it had reopened on Thursday.
On September 5, the army said that hundreds of "rioters" had vandalised the Gaza side of the crossing, and that it would remain closed until the damage was repaired….
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/israel-hamas-palestinians-egypt-sinai-demonstrations-border.html Egypt tightens screws on Hamas with threat to close Rafah crossing — September 13, 2018
...On Sept. 4, Egypt informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the negotiations it was mediating between Hamas and Israel had reached an impasse and would therefore be suspended. Egypt views Abbas as the main culprit in the failure of the talks on the grounds that without Abbas and without a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, no plan to rehabilitate Gaza is feasible. The Egyptians see Abbas taking control of Gaza as the key for an international plan to save Gaza, but he has not managed to reconcile with Hamas. Still, Egyptian intelligence chiefs directed a warning at Hamas: Egypt would be forced to act if the organization takes actions that rekindle clashes along Gaza's border with Israel.
The warning followed reports that Hamas was planning to resume the mass protests along the Israeli border that it had launched in March. Hamas believes that the demonstrations, which often resulted in violence, were successful in raising international awareness of Gaza’s plight and forcing Israel to consider….
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/gaza-ministry-finance-bid-sell-land-police-station-illegal.html Selling government land in Gaza raises eyebrows READ IN: العربية Huda Baroud September 11, 2018
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Ministry of Finance in the Gaza Strip is advertising that its Land Authority will sell the site of the police station in Sheikh Radwan, west of Gaza City. The announcement earlier this month raised many questions about the legality of such a sale.
The Land Authority in the Gaza Strip is a government body responsible for all official transactions of government and public lands.
Safi al-Mahdouh, a lawyer focusing on land affairs, told Al-Monitor that the applicable law in the Palestinian territories prohibits selling government land without a direct authorization from the head of state. "Such transactions must be directly authorized by the head of state, which is referred to in the law as the high representative,” Mahdouh added.
Hassan Abu Riala, deputy director of the Gaza Strip Land Authority, told Al-Monitor the sale announcement was made after the Gaza government ordered the Land Authority to sell the site. He refused to answer further questions, saying, “I suggest you speak to the Ministry of Interior, which is the competent authority. The Land Authority is only instructed to make the sale.”
The head of the Land Authority in the West Bank, Mousa Shakarna, told Al-Monitor, “All we know is that Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is the one assigning the sale and purchase decisions of governmental land to the current Palestinian government. This should only happen by virtue of the law and needs to be directly authorized by President Mahmoud Abbas. A Cabinet in Gaza is an illegitimate entity and its decisions are invalid”…..
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/trump-administration-close-plo-office-washington-dc-180910064915646.html {No actual date & time given in the url nor on the article...} “11 hours ago“ {i.e., 11 hrs before approx: 12:40midnight US leftkost, = apprx 10a.m. Sept 11 middle-east time)
Note: Hamas is not a member of the PLO.
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2018/09/09/hamas-israel-long-term-truce-uncertain-amid-abbas-opposition-gaza-protests/ by Amira El-Fekki [appears to have been approx. 10pm their time] “Internal Palestinian reconciliation stands in way of negotiations with Israel”
The future of a possible long-term truce between Israel and Hamas looks uncertain. A brokered deal would involve easing the blockade on Gaza and prisoners’ swap.
But disagreements between Fatah and Hamas are standing in the way.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose anti-US stance escalated after US President Donald Trump’s internationally-rejected recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the US embassy move, is rejecting any agreement that would deal with the strip separately from the rest of Palestine and insisting that Hamas handles Gaza to the PA, unrecognising its authority to sign any deals.
According to media reports, a delegation of Egyptian intelligence officers last week in Ramallah of was prompted the Egyptians to hold off, in order to resume talks on internal reconciliation first upon being communicated the PA’s rejection of a Hamas-Israel ceasefire.,,,,,
https://www.albawaba.com/news/hamas-promises-breathe-new-life-into-march-return-1183248 Published September 9th, 2018 - 08:59 GMT via SyndiGate.info
The Palestinian Hamas movement will resort to a “major popular escalation” to retaliate to the failure of the truce with Israel, revealed Palestinian sources.
They said that the movement will “breathe new life” into the marches of return that were being held on the Gaza-Israel border. The party is also considering the possibility of relaunching incendiary kites against Israeli territory.
The sources explained that the escalation is aimed at returning attention to the poor state of affairs in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, after the failure of the Israel truce talks...
http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/regional-players-maneuver-to-reengineer-the-israeli-palestinian-landscape/2018/09/09/ {Written by Dr. James M. Dorsey and originally posted to the BESA website}
United Arab Emirates-backed Egyptian and UN efforts to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas, with nemesis Qatar in the background, are about not only preventing months-long weekly protests along the [Gaza/Israel border] and repeated rocket and kite-mounted incendiary device attacks on Israel that provoke Israeli military strikes in response. They also constitute yet another round in an Israeli-supported effort to politically, economically, and militarily weaken Hamas and pave the way for the possible return of Abu Dhabi-based former Palestinian security chief Muhammad Dahlan as successor to ailing PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Ironically, Israeli discussions with representatives of Qatar, which has long supported Hamas, constitute recognition of the utility of Qatar’s longstanding relations with Islamists and militants – relations that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain cited as the reason for their 15-month-old diplomatic and economic boycott of the Gulf state.
Israel and Egypt have agreed that Qatar would pay the salaries of tens of thousands of government employees in Gaza. Abbas has refused to pay those salaries as part of an Israeli-UAE-Saudi-backed effort to undermine Hamas’s control of Gaza and give the PA a key role in its administration. Moreover, in response to Abbas’s demand, Israel reduced electricity supplies, leaving Gazans with only three to four hours of power a day.
,,,Abbas’s economic warfare is the latest tightening of the noose in a more than decade-long Israeli-Egyptian effort to strangle Gaza economically. Included in the moves to negotiate a long-term Israeli-Hamas ceasefire are proposals for significant steps to ease the blockade…...
https://www.madamasr.com/en/2018/09/08/feature/politics/hamas-left-out-in-cold-as-egypt-and-fatah-agree-to-freeze-truce-talks/ By Ahmad Shehada and Thaier Oun
The relationship between Egypt and the Palestinian Authority (PA) has had its ups and downs over the course of Cairo’s mediation efforts between Palestinian factions and Israel, but in recent weeks, both parties have aligned on several critical points and, in effect, have sidelined the Gaza truce deal which had seemed imminent.
The most recent meeting between the two sides came on September 1, when an Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS) delegation, led by Amr Hanafy, met Fatah leaders in Ramallah.
Sources close to the PA that have spoken to Mada Masr in recent days on condition of anonymity describe the meeting as “intense,” with both parties discussing a range of subjects, including the proposed truce between Israel and Gaza factions and the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
At the end of the meeting, the Egyptian delegation and Fatah leaders agreed to freeze truce talks until the reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah is concluded, according to the same sources.
On Thursday, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, met with Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) delegation to Egypt and a Fatah Central Committee member, for several hours, after it which it was announced that Fatah’s delegation would pay a visit to Cairo next week to discuss reconciliation...
Abbas threatens to cut ties with Israel if it negotiates with Hamas By YASSER OKBI/MAARIV — September 7, 2018 09:04
According to this report, Abbas's position caused Egypt to place the internal Palestinian reconciliation at the top of its list of priorities and to reject the "calm first" approach….
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/egypt-development-plan-sinai-terrorism.html Egypt announces massive budget to develop Sinai Menna A. Farouk September 6, 2018 — — https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/egypt-invest-reconstruction-war-investment-profit-workforce.html Egypt to invest in restoration of war-torn countries READ IN: العربية — Ahmed Aleem September 5, 2018 — — https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/palestinian-work-israel-settlements-illegal-smuggling.html Unemployment pushes Palestinians to work in Israel READ IN: العربية — Rasha Abou Jalal September 5, 2018
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/310670/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-intelligence-delegation-discusses-reconci.aspx Egyptian intelligence delegation discusses reconciliation efforts with Abbas in W. Bank Saturday 1 Sep 2018
A delegation from Egypt's General Intelligence Service met with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Saturday to discuss efforts to revive Palestinian reconciliation, the Palestinian news and information agency reported.
The delegation, composed of deputies Amr Hanafy and Ayman Badie, conveyed greetings from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to President Abbas, and stressed Egypt's steadfast stance in support of the Palestinian people and their struggle to end the occupation and establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the agency said.
The delegation also conveyed greetings from the Egyptian General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, reaffirming Egypt’s sponsorship of efforts to end the division and achieve reconciliation, in order to strengthen Palestinian national unity within the framework of a single Palestinian legitimacy headed by President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian president affirmed the Palestinian people's confidence in the Egyptian role in supporting the Palestinians and their struggle to achieve national goals, adhering to Egyptian sponsorship...
The sides agreed to continue the communication between the Palestinian and Egyptian leaderships...
The meeting was attended by the secretary-general of the Palestinian presidency, Al-Tayeb Abdel Rahim, and a number of members of the central committee of the Fatah movement.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/08/qatar-involvement-gaza-hamas-cairo-israel-truce-support.html Will Hamas, Israel call Qatar-brokered truce? READ IN: العربية — Adnan Abu Amer August 30, 2018
GAZA STRIP — Qatar's role is increasing daily in the Palestinian territories in general and the Gaza Strip in particular, at a time when appeasement consultations have been ongoing since May between Hamas and Israel amid Qatari, Egyptian and UN mediation. While no direct meetings have been held between Hamas and Israel, mediation attempts have been exemplified by the transfer of indirect messages between the two parties.
Qatar's role seemed even clearer after White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt visited Qatar Aug. 22 and met with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss the situation in Gaza and the US peace efforts.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Walla website revealed Aug. 22 that during his visit to Cyprus, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met with Al Thani in late June.
For its part, Israel's Channel 10 reported Aug. 16 another meeting between Liberman and Qatar’s Ambassador to the Palestinian territories Mohammed al-Emadi in Cyprus on June 22.
The news was only covered a month later, as the meetings were held amid absolute secrecy and were subsequently leaked to the Israeli media.
According to the two mentioned websites, these two meetings focused on Qatar’s potential economic support for the Gaza Strip and discussed means to put more efforts into achieving a truce between Hamas and Israel, all while bearing the financial burden of Gaza’s reconstruction and financing a number of humanitarian projects.
Adnan Abu Hleil, who writes for Qatar's Al-Sharq newspaper, told Al-Monitor, “Qatar is trying to get a hold of the Palestinian cause. It is true that [Qatar’s] economic projects in Gaza have a humanitarian character, but there are also political interests involved. These include increasing the Qatari influence within the Palestinian territories and expanding the Qatari relations with the countries of the region…..
Hamas has only the hudna to offer to lift the siege by Azzam Tamimi | Middle East Eye — Monday 27 August 2018 16:32 UTC Tuesday 28 August 2018 19:24 UTC — An interesting, fairly long article that may be an op-ed,captioned: “Hamas is negotiating with Israel, through Egyptian brokerage, for a truce aimed at ending violence and easing the Gaza blockade. The only party that seems vehemently opposed to any deal is the Palestinian Authority.”
...(from the Arabic هدنة meaning "calm" or "quiet") is a truce or armistice.[1] It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire". In his medieval dictionary of classical Arabic, the Lisan al-Arab, Ibn al-Manzur defined it as:
"hadana: he grew quiet. hadina: he quieted (transitive or intransitive). haadana: he made peace with. The noun from each of these is hudna."[citation needed]
A famous early hudna was the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah between Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe.[citation needed]
...In English, the term is most frequently used in reference to a ceasefire agreement in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, particularly one that would involve organizations such as Hamas. The concept of hudna was first introduced by Yasser Arafat in a secretly recorded 1994 speech in a Johannesburg mosque...
Hamas and Fatah spar over truce, unity talks By Khaled Abu Toameh | JPost — August 28, 2018 20:25 “ Hamas is “seeking to consolidate the split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and tighten its grip over the Gaza Strip,” Hussein al-Sheikh said.” Includes links to late July articles by same author.
▒▒ Russia Deploys Fleet Off Syria While Claiming U.S. Preparing for Possible Strike — Haaretz and Reuters [◄ excellent Reuters link for immediate news of the region] Aug 28, 2018 9:52 AM “Up to 13 Russian warships have crossed the Bosphorus toward Syria so far this week as tensions between the U.S. and Syria continue to rise”
▒▒ Explained//Syria, Turkey, Russia and U.S. to Square Off in Idlib With Millions of Civilians in the Crosshairs — Haaretz and Reuters — Aug 28, 2018 6:58 PM
▒▒ wik article w/ map on Idlib ▒
▒▒ Iran and Syria Seal Military Cooperation Agreement — Reuters and The Associated Press at Haaretz — Aug 28, 2018 12:13 AM “Deal concluded by their defense ministers at a meeting in Damascus, Tasnim news agency says”
Iran and Syria signed a deal for military cooperation in a meeting between the defence ministers of the two countries in Damascus, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami travelled to Damascus on Sunday for a two-day visit, meeting Syrian President Bashar Assad and senior military officials, Tasnim reported.
Hatami, on a two-day visit to Syria, told the Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV station that the agreement also stipulates helping rebuild Syria's military industry….
▒▒ Linking with the above article: ■ Everyone Wants to Get Iran Out of Syria. But No One Knows How to Do It — Aug 26, 2018 11:50 AM “Russia would essentially have to fight Iran to get it out of Syria, where Tehran aims to continue the 30-year alliance and benefit from the reconstruction after the civil war, experts sayAmir Tibon (Washington ) ■ Iran's Defense Minister, Visiting Syria, Seeks 'Productive Role in Reconstruction' — Aug 26, 2018 11:22 AM “Senior Iranian officials have said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad government and they have no immediate plans to withdraw”Reuters and Haaretz ■ Iran Says ‘No Third Party’ Will Limit Its Support to Syria — Aug 26, 2018 7:13 PM “Israel has expressed concern over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, accusing Iran of seeking to establish a foothold near the frontier...” The Associated Press at Haaretz ■ Turkey's Erdogan Says Will Bring Safety and Peace to Syria, Iraq — Aug 26, 2018 7:03 PM “The rebel-held Idlib enclave is a refuge for civilians and rebels displaced from other areas of Syria as well as for powerful jihadist forces, but has been hit by a wave of air strikes and shelling this month”
▒▒ h/t Chitown Kev ■ US, Russia engage in war of words as Syria attack looms — Al Jazeera 9 hours ago (approx.3pm Tues., Aug 28 their time) — “Washington and Moscow trade chemical attack warnings as Russian naval buildup grows ahead of strike on Syria's Idlib.
For Palestinians, Trump is all pain and no peace Washington Post-17 hours ago — “Trump's apparent disregard for the plight of Palestinians should be no ... Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, put it more bluntly in ...”
Hamas: Between unity with Fatah and a deal with Israel| by Adnan Abu Amer | Al Jazeera, Opinion/Gaza — 27 Aug 2018 — “Hamas seems to be making more progress on a de-escalation deal with Israel than on reconciliation with Fatah.”
Egypt and Qatar are working on 2 very different deals for Gaza; both are stalled — Avi Issacharoff | Times of Israel, Analysis — 27 August 2018, 10:04 pm
Regional Players Make Moves on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by James M. Dorsey | Fair Observer — August 27, 2018 “Regional players in the Middle East are looking for the next Palestinian leader in a bid to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
A possible long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is proving to be much more than an effort to end escalating violence that threatens to spark yet another war in the Middle East.
Moves by Egypt and the United Nations to mediate an agreement are not only about preventing protests along the Gaza-Israel border — as well as repeated rocket fire on Israel that provoke Israeli military strikes in response — from spinning out of control. They also constitute Israeli-backed efforts to politically, economically and militarily weaken Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip. The aim is for the possible return of Mohammed Dahlan, the Abu Dhabi-based former Palestinian security chief, who is seen as a successor to the ailing Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Ironically, Israeli discussions with representatives of Qatar constitute recognition of Doha’s long-standing relations with Islamists and militants, which the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain cited as the reason for their boycott of the Gulf state in June 2017.
Israel and Egypt have agreed that Qatar would pay the salaries of tens of thousands of government employees in Gaza. Abbas has refused to pay the workers as part of an Israeli-Emirati-Saudi-backed effort to undermine Hamas’ control of Gaza and give the PA a key role in the Strip’s administration. In response to a request from Abbas, Israel has reduced electricity supplies, leaving Gazans with only three to four hours of power a day. Qatar has also been negotiating the return by Hamas of two Israeli nationals held captive, as well as the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014 in Gaza…..
Egypt offers proposals for achieving Palestinian unity: official Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-27 03:41:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan
RAMALLAH, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A senior official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party said Sunday that Egypt has offered new proposals for achieving an internal Palestinian reconciliation and a national unity.
"We will give an answer to Egypt's new proposals over reconciliation within the coming 24 hours," said Azzam al-Ahmad, who chaired a Fatah delegation that held talks with senior officials of Egyptian security intelligence services in Cairo for two days.
"Our position is that the file of reconciliation must be finalized first," said al-Ahmad, quoted by the Palestinian state-run news agency WAFA.
"Then we should go to the file of the truce (with Israel) as well as the development and relief projects in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Last week, Cairo hosted another round of dialogue between senior Egyptian security intelligence services officials and leaders of Palestinian factions and political powers, including Islamic Hamas movement, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Earlier on Sunday, a senior Palestinian official from Gaza said that the Egyptian-sponsored internal Palestinian dialogue over reaching a cease-fire agreement with Israel will be resumed in Cairo this week…..
Hamas: Israel did not offer us an airport near Eilat by Khaled Abu Toameh — — JPost — August 26, 2018 00:54
Hamas denied on Saturday that Israel had offered it an airport near Eilat as part of a long-term truce agreement between the two sides.
The denial came in response to claims by Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy head of the Palestinian ruling Fatah faction, who was quoted last Thursday as saying that Israel had offered Hamas an airport near Eilat.
Commenting on Aloul’s remarks, senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk said: “How do we know the reality from fantasy, and the truth from lies? One of the officials (Aloul) said things – half of which are lies. We did not present any idea related to an airport, other than the one in the Gaza Strip.”….
Tangential ALGEMEINER article — August 26, 2018 “In Syria, Palestinian Blood Isn’t Equal”
Palestinians: 'We will not surrender to U.S. blackmail' by Khaled Abu Toameh — JPost — August 25, 2018 17:25
Saeb Erekat denounced the decision as “disgraceful” and accused the US administration of “meddling in the internal affairs of other people in an attempt to impact their national options.”….
Palestinian officials on Saturday condemned the US administration for its decision to cut more than $200 million in economic aid to the Palestinians
Trump administration yanks $200 million in economic aid from Gaza and West Bank Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY Published 5:04 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2018 | Updated 5:09 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2018
EDITORIAL NOTE: This is separate from & in addition to allowing U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) less than 1/6 of originally committed $365 million.
Hamas warns Israel will ‘pay the price’ if Abbas’s pressure on Gaza continues The terror group claims Jerusalem 'is responsible for ending' Palestinian Authority sanctions against the enclave By TOI staff — 24 August 2018, 3:28 pm
Hamas warned Friday that Israel will “pay the price” if the Palestinian Authority continues its economic and political pressure on the Gaza Strip.
“Israel is the one that will pay the price if [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s] sanctions against Gaza continue or intensify,” the group said. “Israel is the one responsible for ending the current situation that is coordinated and encouraged by [Abbas].”
Abbas’s Fatah party, which dominates the PA, and Hamas have been deeply divided for more than a decade. Hamas, an Islamist terror group which openly seeks to destroy Israel, seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and several attempts at reconciliation since then have failed.
The PA government has been putting pressure on Hamas to reach a reconciliation deal, and earlier this year began to scale back electricity payments and other financial support in an effort to force Hamas to cede ground in Gaza.
Abbas is demanding that Hamas hand over complete control of Gaza to the PA, and that the switch be conducted in a single stroke rather than in stages.
He has warned against a reported deal taking shape between Israel and Hamas for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza if it does not include the PA.
According to a report this week in the London-based Al-Hayat daily newspaper, Abbas insists that Egyptian efforts to mediate an accord prioritize reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which he chairs, play a central role in agreeing to a ceasefire,
Last Saturday Abbas warned that there can be no two separate entities ruling Palestinian lands, stating that if the PA is not handed complete control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas will have to take full responsibility for the territory. He made the comments at a gathering of the Palestinian Central Council, the PLO’s second highest decision-making body.
And last week Abbas reportedly refused to meet with visiting Egypt intelligence chief Abbas Kamel over his discontent at being left out of the ceasefire talks.
Report: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal Nears Completion — Tazbit Press Service — August 24, 2018 , 11:10 am
The Egyptian brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is nearly completed, the London based Al-Hayat Arabic language daily reported Thursday. According to the report, the deal needs a few minor revisions before being finalized, but Egypt has obtained Israel’s agreement and an exchange of documents between the sides is underway.
According to the report, prominent Hamas leader Saleh al Arouri will sign on behalf of Hamas. Once Egypt has obtained his signature in Cairo, an Egyptian delegation will set out for Israel to obtain the Israeli signature and necessary guarantees. After both sides have signed, an announcement will be made to publicize the terms of the agreement and implementation will commence. The deal is set to apply for a period of one year, after which it would be automatically extended for an additional four years.
Al-Hayat also quoted a Palestinian source as saying that the deal is set to include Israel’s lifting of the economic blockade on Gaza, the creation of a maritime route between Cyprus and Gaza, as well as steps to re-open the Yasser Arafat International Airport in the Strip, which ceased operations in 2001, when Israel destroyed it’s runways at the outset of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
A prisoner swap is also expected, with Hamas set to release the remains of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in Gaza in 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians being held by Hamas – Avraham Abera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed. In exchange, Israel will free Palestinians released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, who were taken back into custody in 2014 after Hamas abducted and murdered three Israeli teenagers.
While Al-Hayat reports that the prisoner exchange will be included in the deal, the Lebanese based Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday, that the talks between the sides were at a standstill following Israel’s insistence to include the release of the prisoners held by Hamas in the deal.
Will Gaza factions accept Israel-Hamas arrangement? Al-Monitor | August 22, 2018
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, delivered a sermon in Gaza City on Aug. 21 to mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, promising residents of the Strip they would soon be free of Israel’s 11-year siege. “This is the result of your determined stand and your struggle,” he told them, adding that Hamas would not pay any “political” price for the resulting humanitarian aid. His remarks are similar to the attitude of Israeli decision-makers about the emerging deal with Hamas, with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman claiming Israel was not paying a heavy diplomatic price for what it euphemistically terms the “arrangement” with Hamas. Neither side is comfortable admitting to any agreement with the enemy, which by its very nature involves some form of concession….
Rafah crossing reopens allowing passage in both directions Ma’an News Agency | Aug. 19, 2018 11:37 A.M. (Updated: Aug. 22, 2018 11:30 A.M.)
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Sunday reopened the Rafah crossing in the southern besieged Gaza Strip allowing passage in both directions before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The Rafah crossing administration said the Egyptian authorities had decided to reopen the crossing on Sunday to allow the passage of only 100 individuals from the Gaza Strip into Egypt.The administration said in a statement that the crossing will also be open for the return of the hundreds of people stranded at the Egyptian checkpoints and in front of the gates of the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip.The Egyptian authorities close the crossing every Friday and Saturday, while only about 300 individuals cross per day, under strict conditions.Additionally, the Egyptian authorities announced that the Rafah crossing will closed from Monday 20/8/2018 until Sunday 26/8/2018.
There are three crossings into the Gaza Strip and one of them is the Gaza-Egypt crossing known as the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza, which is specifically used for pedestrians. However, it is often closed and lacks infrastructure for it to be a main commercial crossing.
Hamas Chief: Gaza Close to Ending Blockade, Trump's Peace Plan 'Clinically Dead' — Jack Khoury Aug 21, 2018 11:06 AM Haaretz “Aid to Gaza to be given under agreement that would preserve status of ‘resistance forces,’ says Ismail Haniyeh”
Israel Agreed to Ease Restrictions on Gaza to Promote Cease-fire, Senior Islamic Jihad Official Says Haaretz | Aug 20, 2018 7:11 PM — “Deputy chief of the group reveals details of understandings reached between Israel and Palestinian factions, claims that Egypt also made promises to help Strip resolve crisis and to vouch for Israel in potential deal”
Islamic Jihad's deputy chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah revealed on Monday part of the understandings that were reached between Israel and Palestinian factions, namely Hamas, regarding an emerging cease-fire….
Fatah Delegation to Enter Talks With Gaza Factions Next Week in Egypt
Haaretz | Aug 20, 2018 12:37 PM — The news comes in the shadow of the delay in the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip
Hamas will not disarm as part of ceasefire with Israel: official Written by i24NEWS 08/20/2018 12:12:43 PM | Updated on 08/20/2018 12:21:18 PM
…."We benefit from the truce. Our weapons will remain in our hands and there are no conditions regarding Hamas's right to (continue) the resistance. The truce does not require a political price (from Hamas) and it is not part of the deal of the century," senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar reportedly told online newspaper Al-Khaleej.
For months, both the United Nations and Egypt have been mediating between Hamas and Israel in order to bring an end to violence along the Gaza border and also ease conditions in the impoverished Palestinian coastal enclave.
The latter is exactly what Hamas is seeking to gain from the ceasefire, according to Zahar, who said the truce is "just a humanitarian step for the sake of the people of Gaza."
The proposal under discussion is said to include a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the restoration of control over the enclave to the Abbas-led PA and the advancement of a number of humanitarian projects.
Hezbollah-affiliated media network al-Mayadeen published a report on Thursday claiming that Qatar will play a large role in financing the arrangement, funding Hamas officials’ salaries as well as fuel for the Strip.
The establishment of a direct shipping route between Gaza and Cyprus was also referenced, with Israel's Hadashot TV reporting that Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman conditioned the building of the seaport on the return of the bodies of two fallen IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens being held captive by Hamas.
Zahar said that there had been some real progress the past couple of days in Cairo between Palestinian officials and Egyptian intelligence, such as easing travel restrictions from Gaza, but that the main focus was now on the establishment of a sea port in Cyprus leading to Gaza.
The Palestinian factions have returned from Cairo to celebrate the Muslim feast Eid al-Adha, but are expected to return on Friday when the feast ends to continue negotiations…..
With Abbas sidelined, Israeli-Palestinian conflict enters new territory By Charles Bybelezer | The Media Line — August 20, 2018 “Palestinian Authority boss appears increasingly marginalized, portending a possible change in the longstanding dynamics of the peace process”
It is unlikely coincidental that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas this weekend restated a call for “popular resistance” against Israel, as the PA boss, back up against the wall, is seen by critics as having resorted to the often-used tactic of deflecting blame away from his own shortcomings and onto the “occupation.”
Increasingly, observers opine that Abbas’ actions appear driven by his marginalization, with the Trump administration last week having expressed an unprecedented willingness to bypass the PA altogether if it means enhancing the security and economic prospects in the Gaza Strip. Ramallah’s relations with Washington reached a nadir when the Palestinian leader imposed a boycott on American officials following President Donald Trump’s recognition in December of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Abbas has on numerous occasions since rejected out-of-hand the White House’s yet-unveiled peace proposal.
The cold hard truth may be setting in: namely, that Abbas is nearing the end of his road without having made much tangible progress towards achieving statehood for his people. To the contrary, the Palestinians arguably are divided more than ever between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which effectively constitute distinct and competing entities. Now, Abbas is publicly being accused of torpedoing the potential Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal possibly out of fear of being further sidelined; this, at a time when growing anger is being directed at the Palestinian chief, including rare protests in Ramallah.
Abbas may be running out of cards to play and is thus flexing “resistance” bona fides with a view to biding time, mobilizing the Palestinian “street” and also as a reminder that the current relative stability in the West Bank can unravel at any moment, not unlike when chaos was unleashed for weeks in the wake of the President Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.
Analysts believe the outbreak of violence would undoubtedly refocus the international spotlight onto PA-governed territory, thereby raising Abbas’ stature. The strategy is essentially a fail-safe for the Palestinian leadership, as evidenced by Hamas’ rising star amid months of fighting along the border prompted by the so-called “March of Return.”
This time around, however, there is an apparent reticence on the part of major players to throw Abbas a bone. Instead, the parties involved—from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Egypt to Israel, and, to a lesser degree, even Hamas and its patron Qatar—seem intent on promoting stability through compromise.
There are, it would seem, more pressing regional bones to pick…..
Mixed Reactions Among Palestinians To Abbas’ Call For ‘Popular Resistance’ by Dima Abumaria | The Media Line — August 19, 2018
Qatar seeks role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas
International-The Jerusalem Post-[August 20, 2018 03:33]
Qatar has been seeking to play a relevant role in Israel’s Gaza policy amid the crisis with Hamas that has unfolded over the last six months. But those efforts have been frustrated as Qatar is isolated by Washington’s drive for a “deal of the century” and Doha’s own disputes with its Gulf neighbors. Recent cease-fire discussions, however, may now bring Qatar back into the group of countries that are working to avoid another conflict between Jerusalem and Gaza.
Channel 10 reported last week that in June, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met in Cyprus with Qatar’s Gaza envoy, Mohammed Al-Emadi. At the top of Qatar’s list of concerns was the humanitarian issue, in which Qatar has taken a key interest for a decade. Doha could provide up to $350 million as part of a new deal to keep the peace between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Since 2014, it has already provided around $800 million....
http://jcpa.org/negotiations-in-cairo-may-lead-to-a-realignment-of-palestinian-organizations/ August 19, 2018
[some underscoring editorially added to the blockquote]
Friday, August 17, 2018, was not a quiet day along the border fence between Israel and Gaza. On this day, Hamas activists attempted to breach the border. However, for the first time, on August 18, Hamas’ main website, Resalah, confirmed that tahdia talks were occurring in Cairo. The parties were working toward a conclusion with the participation of Palestinian “organizations,” many of them affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). However, the talks are underway without Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority and political wing of the PLO, which refuses to be involved.
[Tahdia is an agreement for a period of calm. Hudna is akin to a ceasefire agreement.The tahdia will be based on the 2014 ceasefire agreement that ended that round of violence between Israel and Hamas.]
On the table now is not “regularization” of relations that will entail a dramatic change in the miserable conditions of everyday life in Gaza, but an end to the current limited, yet exasperating, burning of Israeli forests and fields by incendiary kites and balloons. Hamas’ agreement to cease these actions would come in exchange for re-opening of border crossings and enlarging the size of the permitted fishing zone on the Gazan coast.
Now, as we enter the Eid al-Adha holiday (August 19-24 this year), it is expected that the festive mood and the reports about the potential agreement will lead to a halt in the demonstrations. This may not occur immediately, but they may slowly dissipate.
According to our sources, today, no donor country is ready to invest in Gaza. Egypt is not ready to surrender any piece of Sinai for a port or airport serving Gaza, and with no investment in the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, it cannot be turned into a gateway for commerce.
Therefore, in the foreseeable future, Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing and Ashdod port will continue to be the main gateways for Gazan commerce and aid.
Do the Cairo Talks Signal a Realignment?
However, the importance of the Cairo discussions can be found elsewhere: the shift of the PLO and affiliated organizations towards Hamas. While Fatah, the PLO’s governing party, is boycotting the Cairo talks, other PLO-affiliated organizations are there, so instead of Hamas joining the PLO, the nucleus of a new PLO-like organization might be evolving.
This is a critical plot twist, because presently Mahmoud Abbas wants these PLO-affiliated organizations to affirm the legality of the PLO as the sole, legitimate source of authority for the Palestinians. He convened the PLO Central Committee to this end, yet organizations such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front, and Mustafa Barghouti’s Palestinian National Initiative (an umbrella organization for several NGOs) convened with Hamas in Cairo.
Mahmoud Abbas was left alone with the tiny People’s Party (formerly the Palestinian Communist Party) and the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA).
If Mahmoud Abbas continues on this path, sources within Fatah expect that a split inside Fatah may occur. They did not elaborate but stated that the source of the problem between Mahmoud Abbas and the organization is his “punishment” of Gaza. In the recent PLO convention, he promised to end the sanctions on Gaza, but he did not fulfill this promise, although it was confirmed in the PLO’s formal resolutions. In response, the PLO-affiliated organizations boycotted a PLO meeting last week and joined Hamas in Cairo in response.
Today, Mahmoud Abbas threatens to increase Gaza’s punishment if a separate agreement is enacted between Hamas and Israel….
Abbas rejection of possible Israel-Hamas truce said to create tension …The Times of Israel-[19 August 2018, 12:27 pm] “Cairo hopes to close a deal between Israel and Hamas by the ... Abbas is demanding that Hamas hand over complete control of Gaza to the PA …”
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s rejection of an Egyptian-mediated peace deal between Israel and Hamas to end the recent surge in violence is creating friction between Cairo and Ramallah, the London-based Al-Hayat daily newspaper reported on Sunday.
Relations between the PA and Egypt are said to be “very tense”, the report claimed citing Palestinian sources.
For months, both the United Nations and Egypt have been mediating between Hamas and Israel in order to bring to violence along the Gaza border and also ease conditions in the impoverished Palestinian coastal enclave.
Lebanon’s Al-Maydeen TV citing Hamas officials, reported on Friday that the ceasefire negotiations were in “the final stretch.”
Abbas however, insists that Egyptian efforts prioritize intra-Palestinian reconciliation between his Fatah party and its rival Hamas, ahead of any ceasefire agreement with Israel, which he would eventually seek to play a central role in. He is endeavoring to oversee the terms of the deal as Fatah did following the Israel-Hamas war in the summer of 2014.
An Egyptian source told al-Hayat: “We are putting the final touches for all parties to sign the clauses of the agreement, and we expect to announce next week if Fatah helps that to happen.” Fatah has not yet participated in the Cairo negotiations.
Last week, Abbas reportedly declined to meet with Egypt’s intelligence chief General Abbas Kamel who made a flying visit to Israel on Wednesday to continue thrashing out the long-term Israel and Hamas truce.
...Palestinian sources told al-Hayat that Abbas wants PA control “from end to end, and below and above ground” a likely reference to the network of military tunnels and weapons controlled by Hamas in Gaza…….
Condensed from previous diary:
[see top of diary for map for location of Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza, Erez Crossing for pedestrians between Israel & Gaza, see also Kerem Shalom border crossing for truck traffic “at the junction of the Gaza Strip–Israel border and the Gaza–Egypt border” ]
Hundreds of Palestinians who have spent four days in the Sinai heat have called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing and allow them to return to the Gaza Strip, the Safa news agency reported yesterday.
The site said Palestinians are located in two areas in Egypt: near the Suez Canal and near the Rafah crossing. They have run out of food and water, it added.
Amongst those waiting are children, the elderly and Palestinians who had travelled for medical treatment….
- Israel closes Gaza border [pedestrian crossing/Erez] amid ongoing clashes and ceasefire push — International-i24NEWS-[08/18/2018 | 8:18:40 PM |Updated on 08/19/2018, 4:40:42 AM
- Bennett: 'Lieberman's surrender to Hamas will bring war on us all' — International-Ynetnews-[08.19.18 , 09:11 ]
- Abbas Blasts Emerging Israel-Hamas Deal, Says Palestinian Authority “...Must Be Involved • Egypt looking to involve Fatah in talks, report says • Palestinian president says only Ramallah is authorized to transfer funds to Gaza” — Haaretz [Aug 18, 2018 7:14 pm]
- Abbas: If PA not handed control of Gaza, Hamas must take full … “responsibility [for financial needs of GazaStrip] • Palestinian leader says territories must be under 'one law,' vows to call on UN General Assembly to condemn Israel for its nation-state law —ToI [18 August 2018 updated 11:19 pm]
- Why Hamas escalated and why it is winning the current round
The Jerusalem Post-[August 18, 2018 22:19]
- Israel could have a spate of calm. Gaza might get some relief. But for ...
The National [Updated: August 18, 2018 09:52 PM]
- Truce talks to resume after Muslim feast [Eid al-Adha] — JPost — [August 18, 2018 19:15]
- Abbas: No separate Palestinian state in Gaza — Int’l-Ynetnews — 08.18.18 , 20:34 {8:34pm} “As Egypt mediates ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian president insists he will 'never accept the separation of Gaza from the West Bank' and says any humanitarian aid or financial support to Gaza must go through the Palestinian Authority.”
- UN Chief Proposes Armed Peacekeeping Force to Protect Palestinians in Gaza Haaretz-Aug 18, 2018 “... the organization could protect Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. ... Cease-fire, Prisoner Swap and Seaport: Details of Israel-Hamas …Guterres' propositions follow General Assembly resolution in June condemning violence in the Strip ■ Application seems less likely following recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas”
- Hamas, Israel deal may increase Gaza's strategic position — Daily Sabah-Aug 17, 2018
- Gaza Cease-fire, Prisoner Swap and Seaport: Details of Israel-Hamas “...Deal Emerge ■ Understanding, approved by all minister but Bennett and Shaked, includes six phases to be implemented gradually … A deal negotiated between Israel and Hamas via UN and Egyptian mediation, whose first stage went into effect on Wednesday, entails a …” — Haaretz — Aug 16, 2018 [Aug 17, 2018 9:54 AM]
- Egypt finalizing details of long-term Hamas-Israel truce Reuters-Aug 16, 2018
- Hamas, Israel deal will come at Abbas' expense “It may bring the Palestinian reconciliation into question and uphold the de facto separation between Gaza Strip and the West Bank” — Opinion-gulfnews.com-Aug 17, 2018 [text at link may differ. “August 20, 2018 | Last updated {approx 8:45 pm their time}]
Secret negotiations between Israel and Hamas, through Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar, may lead to a historic deal that is expected to be reached by the end of this month at the most, according to various reports. But not all will be celebrating. President Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian National Authority (PNA) may emerge as the main losers.[emphasis added] The five-year truce between the two sides will come at the expense of Palestinian reconciliation and is likely to become the cornerstone for United States President Donald Trump’s much-touted “ultimate deal”. Such a deal will uphold the de facto separation between Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
But crucially, it will present Gaza and its Islamist rulers as the alternative to the classical two-state solution. The economic rewards will be hefty for Hamas and by extension to the two million inhabitants of Gaza. Israel will lift its 10-year economic blockade, open the border crossing and allow for the rehabilitation of the Gaza port. Egypt will facilitate the use of Al Arish airport and dedicate a special industrial zone for multi-billion-dollar projects for the benefit of the strip. Qatar, it appears, is willing to bankroll most of these projects.
It sounds too good to be true. Tension between Israel and Hamas remains high as the two sides engage in military altercations on an almost daily basis. The Israeli government appears to be divided, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu putting additional conditions that includes the handing over of Israeli soldiers and remains by Hamas. The thorny issue of Hamas’ military wing is also standing in the way of a final deal. In return for an agreement, Hamas will put an end to weekly protests along the borders with Israel and terminate the launching of incendiary balloons and kites...
Egyptian efforts had focused on implementing a reconciliation deal reached last October between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo. But both sides remain wary of each other. Under that agreement, Hamas would hand over full authority back to the PNA. The question of Hamas’ rockets and weapons is a deal breaker. The UN’s mediation, through special Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov, focuses more on the economic windfall of a long-term truce with Israel.
Egypt is suspicious of Qatar’s role in all of this. Indeed that role appears malicious for Abbas and his PNA. There is indeed lack of transparency and Hamas seems to be enjoying the added attention. Previously, US officials had held meetings in Washington to discuss alleviating the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which, according to the UN and other agencies, is extremely dire. The PNA was not invited to these meetings and Abbas remains committed to boycotting any contact with the US since last year’s decision by Trump to relocate the American Embassy to occupied Jerusalem and recognise the city as Israel’s capital.
But why Gaza? The so-called “ultimate deal” appears to consider the strip as an important piece in a large jigsaw puzzle….
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ANALYSIS: Syria in Gaza, without the Russians — JPost-Aug 16, 2018 — “The Gaza Strip is a microcosm of what is happening throughout the region - a reflection of the broader conflicts throughout the Middle East. Hamas is also supported by Iran, which has an interest in seeing the situation ... For this reason it opposes a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, because ... as well: such as Turkey and Qatar, both trying to spread their influence. ... the Muslim Brotherhood, and for this reason Egypt and Saudi Arabia view...”
Considering all the different parties with widely conflicting interests currently active in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Abbas Kamel will prove himself a magician if he is able – as he is trying – to broker a sustainable cease-fire there.
Eran Lerman, a former senior official in the National Security Council who is currently vice president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, put forth a couple of years ago a model through which it is possible to understand much of the turmoil in the Middle East.
There are, he said, four camps vying for control and hegemony in the region: Iran, Islamic State, the Muslim Brotherhood and what he called the Camp of Stability, which includes ideologically diverse countries that did not want to see the current order completely overturned: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and a few others.
Everywhere you look, he said, from Libya to Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, the forces fighting each other are all from the various camps who are battling for control. This – more than the simplistic Shia-Sunni split – is a useful prism through which to try to understand this region.
The Gaza Strip is a microcosm of what is happening throughout the region – a reflection of all the broader conflicts throughout the Middle East, a battleground Israel has the misfortune of neighboring where all those conflicting interests come to a head in one tiny space.
Everybody is involved in Gaza, and they all are pulling in different directions.
Hamas is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood camp, which both hates and is hated by the current Egyptian leadership under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Hamas is also supported by Iran, which has an interest in seeing the situation in Gaza not tamped down, but rather at a constant boiling point to be used against Israel.
The Palestinian Authority – which in the bigger picture presents itself as being in the Camp of Stability allied against the other three camps, all variations of radical Islam – has its own interests in Gaza. It wants to unseat Hamas and regain control of Gaza, but would rather have someone else – i.e. Israel – do the actual unseating.
Like Iran, the PA has no real interest in stability now in a Gaza under Hamas, because that would concretize Hamas’s control over the region, essentially solidifying the split between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. For this reason it opposes a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, because its chances of ever wrestling back control of Gaza from Hamas will fade if a quiet agreement is reached that ensures a degree of stability in the Strip under Hamas control.
Mayhem in Gaza, not stability, is Fatah’s best chance of ever returning to control the coastal enclave.
As is the situation in Syria, there are other international players involved in the region as well: such as Turkey and Qatar, both trying to spread their influence. Both countries support Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and for this reason Egypt and Saudi Arabia view them both as threats – and would like to distance them from the area. The problem is that Qatar is badly needed for its cash.
Then there are the various Salafist, Islamic State and Jihadi elements there who just want to wreak havoc. It’s Syria, without Russian involvement.
All this explains why putting together a sustainable cease-fire there now is such an enormous challenge – and why it would be such a significant diplomatic achievement for Cairo to actually pull it off.
True, Israel is interested in a cease-fire since it wants to bring to an end the untenable situation that the residents of the communities around the Gaza border have been living under since March. And a tired Hamas may be keen on a cease-fire out of concern that, if their provocations continue, Israel might indeed embark on another military campaign that would weaken it even more. But there are too many other elements currently in play – most significantly Iran and the PA – which have an interest not in a degree of stability in the South, but rather in a continuation and even escalation of the current level of violence….
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Israel commits to Gaza reconstruction in Hamas cease-fire deal — Jewish Telegraphic Agency-Aug 16, 2018
- Egypt Works to Mediate Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap — Voice of America-Aug 16, 2018
- Israel-Hamas Cease-fire on Gaza Goes Into Effect — Haaretz-Aug 15, 2018 “The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect Wednesday, following the approval of the security cabinet ministers. The ministers …”
- The scale of arrangement between Israel and Hamas — Ynet — Aug 15, 2018
- Israel says Gaza calm brokered with Hamas ... Toi Aug 15, 2018
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Fatah Official Indicates Internal Palestinian Dissent Over Israel-Hamas ... — Algemeiner-Aug 15, 2018
- Senior Israeli Minister Admits to Emerging Israel-Hamas Deal, Says ...
— Haaretz-Aug 14, 2018 “Following an escalation in hostilities between Israel and Gaza beginning on Wednesday, a foreign diplomat told Haaretz that Israel and Hamas …”
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The Gaza Conundrum: Debating the merits of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire What might be in store for the Gaza Strip? By CHARLES BYBELEZER/THE MEDIA LINE — August 6, 2018 05:05
When Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week announced the cancellation of his trip to Colombia, citing the "situation in the south," the move was widely construed as a prelude to a possible breakthrough in negotiations to forge a long-term ceasefire agreement with Hamas. And, indeed, the Israeli cabinet was slated on Sunday to discuss an emerging multi-phased proposal.
The first stage reportedly calls for the immediate end to all hostilities and the permanent re-opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom passage, through which Israel transfers goods and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Thereafter, if the truce holds, the living conditions of Gazans are to be improved through the lifting of the joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade, whereas the rift between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' ruling Fatah faction and Hamas is meant to be healed. Finally, the international community will invest heavily in Gaza-based infrastructure projects, including the possible construction of air and sea ports....
Despite apparent progress in the talks...Chaos erupted along the [Gaza-Israel] border when an estimated 8,000 Palestinians began burning tires and hurling rocks and explosives at [IDF] troops, leading to the killing by live-fire of two Gazans and injuries to over 200 others. Dozens of incendiary objects continued to be launched into southern Israel, causing further damage to an already ravaged ecosystem.
Notably, senior Hamas figures participated in the demonstrations, including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar and the terror group’s deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, who lives in exile but was granted special permission by Israel to enter the enclave in order to discuss with officials details of the prospective five-year ceasefire. That al-Arouri was allowed into Gaza despite being accused of directing attacks against Israel from Turkey is additional evidence that the diplomatic process has reached a critical juncture. Likewise, Sinwar's appearance Friday might be viewed as a final show of "resistance" ahead of a potential agreement.
According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel [however], the present initiative may, after numerous previous failed attempts, bear fruit.
..."Sinwar sat in an Israeli prison for 22 years and his generation knows very well that Hamas cannot defeat Israel. So they are more willing to compromise. But before this can happen Hamas needed to put up a fight and this is what has been happening for the past four months.
"The message to the people of Gaza," Nuriel elaborated, "is that Hamas won by setting fire to Israeli communities and killing an Israeli soldier. Now, they can consider a truce. This does not mean that Hamas will like or accept Israel, only that an accord is possible."
Nevertheless, there are already signs that integral parts of the proposal may be bound to fail. For example, Abbas' Fatah faction this weekend [again] called on Hamas to reject any long-term pact,...
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-stirs-up-hornets-nest-by-firing-PA-minister-564144
Abbas stirs up hornets’ nest by firing PA minister
The dismissal of Qaraqe, who held the rank of minister, drew sharp criticism from Palestinians across the political spectrum. By Khaled Abu Toameh — August 5, 2018
2 August 2018 https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-administration-releases-millions-in-frozen-aid-to-pa-security-forces/
The US has quietly spent some $42 million in the West Bank since May; State Department official says this serves US interests; other programs still being evaluated...
Stratfor.com @ wikipedia ■ https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/gaza-israel-middle-east-iran-turkey-saudi-arabia May 16, 2018
Highlights
- For Turkey, Iran and Qatar, this new Gaza crisis is an opportunity to shore up their roles as patrons of the Palestinians and leaders within the Muslim world.
- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, on the other hand, consider the Iran threat much more pressing than the Palestinian question.
- This is a view shared by Israel, which eyes its northern border, where Iran's military buildup is taking place in Syria, with greater concern than it does the Gazan frontier.
On its broadest level, the Palestinian question has long represented a way for regional rulers to win or buttress their legitimacy at home and claim leadership in the Muslim world.
But over the past decade, slow-moving forces have reshaped how legitimacy is derived from the Palestinian issue, and how much value different states see in seeking to be the leader of the region's Muslims.
THE BIG PICTURE
The Palestinian issue is a means for regional states to gain influence and appease domestic audiences. But how states do so has changed over time, with some, like Iran, gaining more with each new Palestinian crisis, while others, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have to navigate between the traditions of condemnation and a very real desire to get closer to Israel.
■ Some articles mention Izz ad-Din al-Qassam troops — wik link.