Fatah-bevægelsen, som p.t. har magten på Vestbredden og som ledes af den palæstinensiske “præsident” Mahmoud Abbas, frygter at tabe terræn til Hamas efter Israels invasion i Gaza, skriver The Independent:
The Islamic movement Hamas is taking over from Fatah, the party created by Yasser Arafat, as the main Palestinian national organisation as a result of the war in Gaza, says a leading Fatah militant. “We have moved into the era of Hamas which is now much stronger than it was,” said Husam Kadr, a veteran Fatah leader in the West Bank city of Nablus, recently released after five-and-a-half years in Israeli prisons.
“Its era started when Israel attacked Gaza on 27 December.”
“Hamas has been highly successful in portraying itself as the party of the resistance, and Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas as the opponents of resistance at a time [when] the public wants to resist,” said Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian minister of planning. He adds that Mr Abbas was badly damaged in the eyes of Palestinians when he blamed Hamas for Israel’s assault on Gaza in the conflict’s first two days.
Abbas’ omdømme er skadet, som i “anses for forræder og Quisling”, i mange palæstinenseres øjne.
Via KABOBfest, hvis skribent påpeger, at noget lignende er ved at overgå Fatahs amerikanske afdeling, The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP):
After ATFP president Ziad Asali offered himself as an Israeli spokesperson to U.S. media during the Gaza assault, the little support ATFP did have took a hit.
Måske ikke helt underligt …
Link: Fatah fears Gaza conflict has put Hamas in the ascendancy