Hamas Wary Of Success Of Fatah-Israeli Cooperation

Hamas sees the ongoing cooperation between Fatah and Israeli security forces as one of the roadblocks to Hamas-Fatah reconciliation

A senior Hamas official said on Thursday next week's talks on security cooperation with Fatah could narrow Palestinian divisions but suggested that reconciliation was some way off.

The two sides are due to hold talks next week on control of Palestinian security forces, the main sticking point which has held up Egyptian-led efforts to end their rift.

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas politburo member, said the Nov. 9 talks in the Syrian capital would cover the "very sensitive security file" and look at "restructuring and rebuilding of security apparatus."

Hamas has accused Fatah of coordinating with Israeli forces against it in the West Bank, and Rishq said that any agreement depended on Fatah rejecting Israeli pressure.

And it's no wonder why--Haaretz is reporting that for the first time since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, there are no security suspects being sought by Israel in the northern West Bank:

There is not a single security suspect being sought by Israel in the northern West Bank for the first time since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000. In the southern West Bank, there are only a few names on the security establishment's wanted list. The situation is a reflection of both the improved security situation in the West Bank and the increasing cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian Authority security forces.

The northern West Bank, notably Nablus and Jenin, but also Tul Karm and Qalqilyah, was where the most lethal terrorist networks established a foothold during the second intifada. Members of the Hamas terror network, which had its center of operations in Nablus, led the Israeli list of wanted terrorists, but Islamic Jihad and local cells of the Fatah military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, also exacted a heavy toll in the lives of Israeli civilians and Israeli soldiers. In response, the security barrier was constructed, thousands of Palestinian terror suspects were arrested and interrogated and Israeli security forces made prolonged efforts to stop the wave of terror centered in the northern West Bank.

The article goes on to say that the major cause for the success in reducing the number of wanted terrorists is the coordination with the Palestinian security forces--a coordination that only intensified after the bloody Hamas coup in June 2007.

By the same token, Israel compromised on its part as well:

At the same time, the PA, with Israel's assent, developed protective custody arrangements and later released hundreds of wanted Fatah figures who promised to lay down their weapons and refrain from terror activity against Israel. Israel, in turn, allowed the suspects who had not been involved in acts of murder to escape punishment as part of an effort to stabilize the situation on the ground and assist Palestinian security forces.

The question of course is whether benefited by such an arrangement, and whether any of these members of Fatah returned to terrorism. Based on the article, the answer to the first question appears to be yes; the second question is unfortunately not addressed.

Hat tip: IMRA

Technorati Tag: Fatah and Hamas.