Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Hamas is denying it, but reports are flying around the Internet--sourced to the London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat--that Khaled Mashaal and other senior Hamas officials are planning to relocate from Syria to Qatar. Here's Ha'aretz on this.
If it's true, I'm guessing this is the chain of causation: A terrified Assad has told Hamas to get out or die--and no one was willing to take them unless they agreed to the terms of the truce. In other words, Hamas is not quite negotiating from a position of strength, as assumed. Not that this makes much difference: Is there anyone in the world who truly thinks this deal will last more than about fifteen minutes? Hamas will throw one of their new friends off the top of an apartment building and that will be the end of that.
Here's David Ignatius's take, which sounds plausible:
One source said that Hamas leader Khaled Meshal offered to broker a deal between Assad and the Hamas’s friends in the Muslim Brotherhood—infuriating Assad. Meshal is said to have realized that his base in Damascus was no longer secure under Assad, and he authorized concessions to Hamas’s Palestinian rival, Fatah, which rules the West Bank and is headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
This is all very interesting because of course Qatar funds Al Jazeera (and Hamas). But I didn't think they'd ever take the risk of having Hamas move in with them. No one else would--reportedly Jordan and Egypt said, "Sorry, fellows, no room at the inn."
There have apparently been "spontaneous" protests in Syria against Al Jazeera and Qatar.
I really hope everyone in Washington who is supposed to be following these events is not excessively distracted by the @PrimorisEra saga. That was fun and interesting, I know, but they need to get back to work, pronto.
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Comments :
Mar '11
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Wouldn't moving from, what, 100 miles away to 1000 miles away limit the leadership's effectiveness in controlling their people on the ground?
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
I assume that would be Assad's thinking, if this is true.
Dec '10
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Distance isn't much of an issue these days - our esteemed editrix is many thousands of miles from the bulk of the Ricocheteers. What's interesting is that the JPost news blurb says that Qatar will host Meshaal and the political leadership of Hamas but not its military wing. Unfortunately, at this point in time, the US needs Qatar for its willingness to host a US military base more than Qatar needs US defense assurances (which the US is compelled for geopolitical reasons to give all the oil emirates).
Dec '10
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
The other puzzling element is that Qatar, unlike Syria, is not a hardline enemy of Israel. Qatar and Israel have had informal diplomatic contacts for some time, and Qatar calls for a regional peace settlement that would recognize Israel and its right to exist.
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Well, what they say and what they fund are two different things. But putting their mouths where there money is (so to speak) by having these guys come and live with them at a time like this--well, that's a bit surprising. Though not much is surprising me these days.
May '10
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
May I just chime in to say that I have no idea, but am pleased that the term "editrix" is gaining widespread acceptance. Wodehouse pioneered it, I think.
Dec '10
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Kennedy, didn't the Romans pioneer the use of "editrix"? I think for a 20th century coinage, you'd look to "aviatrix": I don't think there were many aviators of either gender back when Latin was a living language.
Mar '11
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Claire,
Rather than reading David Ignatius' twaddle, I'd recommend Barry Rubin:
http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/04/obama-administration-eager-to-save.html
Re: Did Syria Boot Hamas Out?
Ignatius's version of the run-up to the unity deal sounds a little far-fetched to me, not least because Hamas has not in fact made any important concessions to Abbas; indeed, nothing of any significance seems to have been demanded from Hamas at all in exchange for the potential loss to the PA of international support for a unilateral statehood declaration, American aid money, Israeli tax proceeds, and their own prime minister. Hamas is clearly the big winner. The unity deal looks to me a lot more like an unconditional surrender by Abbas.
Although Qatar's support for Hamas is hardly a secret, it would surprise me quite a bit if the Emir goes so far as to host them. But it's possible. We'll just have to wait and see.
Edited on May 1, 2011 at 1:00am