With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swearing an emergency
Cabinet, which the Hamas labeled illegal but was welcomed by
Israel, the situation in the Middle East entered a new, more
complicated phase over the weekend, Chinese experts say.
"Now that the burden of running Gaza has fallen on the shoulders
of Hamas, the two areas which constitute the Palestinian
Territories are both geographically and politically separated," Yin
Gang, of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily last
night.
But it is unlikely Hamas will declare the Gaza Strip a state, to
avoid being seen as a separatist political force, he added.
In addition to dealing with Fatah which controls the West Bank,
Hamas also has to coordinate with the different groups which helped
it take control of Gaza, he said, adding it faces a tough task with
different groups in Gaza eager to gain political power.
"Another problem is the antagonism previously targeted at Israel
has now become rivalry between Palestinian groups," said China's
former Ambassador to Iran Hua Liming.
Mistrust and hatred between Hamas and Fatah supporters will
hamper peace talks, Hua said.
"This is the severest infighting in Palestinian history. The
main cause has been the attitude of the Untied States and Israel
toward the democratically-elected Hamas government," Hua said,
referring to the two countries' refusal to recognize the Hamas-led
previous government's legitimacy and defining it as a terrorist
organization. "Their attitude can only intensify the conflict
between Hamas and Fatah," Hua said.
He also noted that although Hamas fighters seized Fatah
positions by force across Gaza, the group has been careful not to
slam the door on the possibility of negotiations to form another
unity government.
Hamas' supreme leader, Syria-based Khaled Mashaal, has said
Abbas still has legitimacy as an elected president and promised to
cooperate with him.
(China Daily June 18, 2007)
