Everyone is competing for Qatar money – a fact that only spurs local groups
towards greater levels of violence
The Role of Hamas and Fatah in the Jerusalem Disturbances
Pinhas Inbari, October 26, 2014
Jerusalem Issue Briefs Vol. 14, No. 34 October 26, 2014
Institute for Contemporary Affairs
Founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation
http://jcpa.org/article/hamas-fatah-jerusalem-disturbances//
-The Muslim Brotherhood seeks to unite all of the region’s Islamic movements
around the idea of the Muslim Caliphate with the Al-Aqsa Mosque as its hub.
-Hamas’ Khaled Mashal lives in Qatar and has helped the Qataris realize that
by ratcheting up the Palestinian issue they can reignite the passion of the
Arab masses throughout the Arab world in support of the Muslim Brotherhood.
-Fatah’s Silwan (Jerusalem) branch was quick to glorify the hit-and-run
killer of the three-month-old American-Israeli baby, Chaya Zissel Braun. On
the issue of funding Fatah activity in Jerusalem, eyes are turned to Qatar.
-Both Fatah and Hamas compete for Qatar’s favor, provoking greater levels of
violence on the ground in Jerusalem.
The deterioration of the security situation in Jerusalem cannot be
understood only on the Israeli-Palestinian level; it is umbilically
connected to the chaos in the Middle East and to the great struggle between
the moderate Sunni regimes and the Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to make
the Jerusalem issue a rallying cry of the “Arab Storm.” The Brotherhood’s
strategy hopes to unite all of the region’s Islamic movements around the
idea of the Muslim Caliphate with the Al-Aqsa Mosque as its hub.
As demonstrated during Operation Protective Edge, the Brotherhood flaunted
the banner “the siege of Gaza” to incite European Muslims to demonstrate in
the streets with their leftist allies, thereby advancing the status of Islam
on the Christian continent. Today, the Muslim jihadists use the “Save
Jerusalem” campaign to again bring millions of agitated Muslims into the
streets of Europe.
Before the recent hit-and-run terror attack on a Jerusalem light rail
platform that killed an American-Israeli infant, the head of Hamas’
Political Bureau, Khaled Mashal, published a special announcement calling
“on our people to hasten immediately to defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and on
the Muslim nation to send a painful message of rage to the world that the
Palestinian people and with them the Arab and Islamic nation will not keep
quiet about Israeli crime.”1 Thus, in Hamas’s view it is the Jerusalem issue
that can place the Palestinians at the forefront of the revolution unfolding
in the Arab world, and of the Muslim awakening in Europe.
A Call to Muslim Faithful to Converge on Jerusalem
The clarion call of Al-Aqsa was sounded by the eminent Muslim Brotherhood
jurist, Doha-based Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, when in Cairo’s Tahrir Square
in February 2011, immediately after the ouster of President Mubarak, he
called for Al-Aqsa’s liberation. Subsequently, he published a book titled
Jerusalem: The Problem of Every Muslim.2 In the introduction, the preeminent
scholar of the Muslim Brotherhood says, “O nation of Islam, arise, the hour
has come, and the hour of danger beckons – to Jerusalem, to Jerusalem –
Al-Aqsa, Al-Aqsa!”
Sheikh Qaradawi got into a bitter polemic with the head of the Palestinian
Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, after Abbas called to inundate Jerusalem with
massive Muslim tourism so as to preserve its Muslim nature in the face of
the “Judaization of the city.” Sheikh Qaradawi has ruled that visiting
Jerusalem is forbidden so long as it is under Israeli occupation;3 Jerusalem
must be liberated by force and not by “tourism.”4
The leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh
Raed Salah, who belongs to the circles closest to Sheikh Qaradawi,5 stated
that “Jerusalem is the capital of the imminently approaching Islamic
Caliphate.”6
In monitoring Hamas’s websites, one gets the impression that pressure to sow
discord in Jerusalem greatly intensified after the overthrow of former
Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood
there and its designation as a terrorist movement.7 Meanwhile, a crisis
erupted between Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the funding of the Brotherhood
branches in the Arab world, including Hamas, based on the claim that these
are terror organizations.8 Presumably, Qatar tried indirectly to help the
Brotherhood in Egypt by inspiring support for them on the Jerusalem issue.
It is also evident that in Syria, Qatar has funded an attempt to establish
terror groups that put Jerusalem at the top of their concerns, such as the
“Al-Aqsa Army.”
The fact that Khaled Mashal is living in Qatar has helped the Qataris
realize that by ratcheting up the Palestinian issue it can reignite the
passion of the Arab masses throughout the Arab world in support of the
Muslim Brotherhood. As we saw in Operation Protective Edge, Qatar dictated a
tough line against a ceasefire in the hope of bringing the Arab masses out
into the streets. Qatar failed in the Arab world – but succeeded in Europe.
Muslim Brotherhood Pressures Jordan
The use of the Jerusalem issue to exert pressure on the Arab world in
general has greatly increased the pressure on Jordan, which was recognized
in its peace treaty with Israel as custodian of the Jerusalem holy places.9
The pretension of the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood movement to represent the
Jerusalem issue has led the Brotherhood in Jordan to censure the Hashemite
government in this regard and question whether Jordan is really safeguarding
Al-Aqsa.10
The fact that the Palestinian Authority has joined Hamas’s campaign to “Save
Al-Aqsa,” notwithstanding the agreement that the Authority has signed with
Jordan, will likely lead to difficulties between the latter two. King
Abdullah has harshly castigated Israel on the Jerusalem issue;11 it must be
understood that he himself is in distress.
During the two previous intifadas, Fatah of Jerusalem in fact took pains to
exclude Jerusalem from the sphere of the conflict. Fatah sources say it was
indeed the Fatah Tanzim in Jerusalem that told Arafat, “The interest of the
residents of east Jerusalem in steadfastness – sumud – requires excluding
them from the sphere of violence.” Hence, whereas the West Bank and Gaza
engaged in terror, the Fatah Tanzim made the struggle an issue of sumud,
such as safeguarding illegal construction; and even though the Second
Intifada was dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Intifada,” Fatah took care to distance it
from the holy place.
Today, the situation is the opposite: quiet Gaza is licking its wounds, the
West Bank is also – relatively – quiet, while most of the focus is on
Jerusalem. The main reason is a drastic decline in support for Fatah in
Jerusalem, so that it is the Islamic movements such as Hamas and the
international Hizb ut-Tahrir movement, which advocates a caliphate, that are
directing the events. For Fatah there is nothing left but to be pulled along
by Hamas.
Looking for Qatari Funding
With an eye to the seventh Fatah conference, planned for the end of the year
though its date has not yet been set, Abbas met with members of the
“Jerusalem district” of Fatah. Fatah sources in Jerusalem say that the
makeup of the cadres has been changed so that “street punks” and even the
“underworld” have been recruited to foment an intifada in Jerusalem. They
have demanded payment for their activity but so far no budget has been
provided to them. Legal costs for those arrested are supposed to have been
paid, but receipt of the funds is not certain.
Fatah’s Silwan (Jerusalem) branch was quick to glorify the hit-and-run
killer of the three-month-old American-Israeli baby, Chaya Zissel Braun,
posting an obituary for the murderer on its official Facebook page, and also
using the words “heroic Martyr.”12
Fatah “Martyr” who “ran over settlers in the occupied city of Jerusalem” -
The Role of Hamas and Fatah in the Jerusalem Disturbances
Fatah “Martyr” who “ran over settlers in the occupied city of Jerusalem”
On the issue of funding Fatah activity in Jerusalem, eyes are turned to
Qatar, the great financier of all the movements that are undermining
regional stability, including in Israel. The large sums evidently being used
by the websites of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood to wage the Jerusalem
campaign indicate that much Qatari money has already flowed their way, and
Fatah is now waiting in line.
Fatah’s very weak standing in the Al-Aqsa compound was apparent in the
attack –wild to the point of life-endangering — on Palestinian religious
affairs minister Mahmoud al-Habash when he visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the
end of June this year. His attackers were Hamas and Hizbat ut-Tahrir men,
and the Palestinian Authority’s security forces had a very hard time
rescuing him. 13 The joint attack also conveyed a message that these two
movements, which have struggled over hegemony on the Mount, have reconciled
and are now acting in unison.
Yet everyone is competing for Qatar money – a fact that only spurs local
groups towards greater levels of violence. Fatah’s joining of the Al-Aqsa
campaign as a wagon hitched to fundamentalist Qatar may well herald a
takeover of Ramallah by the radical Islamic movements – unless the
Palestinian Authority regains its bearings in time.
* * *
Notes
1
http://www.hamasinfo.net/ar/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7rPla4vhD%2fO7vnd7nCDu7WWA1GeuZJYIrF6tT2fyEkigkraWMvHYbE9is9USA16zwQkshvTYrZ60LHPNiR%2fibCyDI0QQjt%2fYjj1qVixZ5fPc%3d
2
https://www.facebook.com/notes/%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A/%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%83%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%91%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A/481858528033
3
http://www.iaqsa.com/category/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AC%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%89/%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84
4 Sheikh Kamal Hativ of the Islamic Movement in Israel said in response to a
visit to Al-Aqsa by Egyptian religious figures that “Jerusalem will receive
these ulema as conquerors and not as tourists.”
http://www.iaqsa.com/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%ae-%d9%83%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%ae%d8%b7%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%8a%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%8a-%d8%ac
5 At one point it was reported that Sheikh Raed Salah had attacked Sheikh
Qaradawi for a ruling that forbade tourism in Jerusalem. Sheikh Raed Salah
hastened to publish a special announcement denying this; on the contrary, he
recognized Sheikh Qaradawi’s authority “as head of the World Federation of
Muslim Scholars.” He supported the sheikh’s visit to Gaza in lieu of
Jerusalem because “Gaza has already been liberated.”
http://www.bldtna.com/art,48852
6 http://www.panet.co.il/online/articles/1/78/S-38843,1,78.html
7 Thus, for example, several campaigns were inaugurated such as “Al-Aqsa Is
Ours and Is Not Your Temple,” which were disseminated via Facebook to the
whole Arab world and even to Europe.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%84%D9%87%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%80%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%A7-
%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%87%D9%85/483093671706086
8 http://www.aawsat.com/home/article/163756
9 Even after the Palestinian Authority joined UNESCO, Jordan forced Ramallah
to ratify Jordan’s status as custodian of Al-Aqsa and as the representative
of Jerusalem in UNESCO.
http://kingabdullah.jo/index.php/en_US/news/view/id/10779/videoDisplay/1.html
10
http://www.assabeel.net/local/item/69765-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%89-%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9
11 http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/.premium-1.2464003
12 http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=12911
13 http://www.raialyoum.com/?p=113625
==========================
About Pinhas Inbari
Pinhas Inbari is a veteran Arab affairs correspondent who formerly reported
for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper, and currently serves as an
analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
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