Abbas Talks at Two Tables

Hana Levi Julian

While Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas was sipping coffee and chatting with US Vice President Dick Cheney in Ramallah Sunday, one of his closest deputies was doing the same in Yemen with his Hamas counterpart. Abbas has repeatedly promised not to resume relations with the rival Hamas terrorist organization, but top negotiators from both factions spent five days in Sana’a with Yemenite President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who brokered talks between the two sides.

Fatah at the Table with the US and Israel in Ramallah, Jerusalem
Jerusalem issued a warning Sunday that Israel would shut down its own talks with the PA if Abbas continues on the path to a rapprochement with Hamas.

The message, relayed to Abbas, reportedly explained that dialogue between Fatah and Hamas toward a termination of the Hamas terror reign in Gaza is a good thing. However, if Abbas returns to a unity government with Hamas, final status talks with Israel would end.

During US Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Ramallah, he warned Abbas that acts of terror and the incessant rocket fire aimed at Israel from Gaza “destroys the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.” Cheney added that “With hard work, an agreement between the PA and Israel can be reached,” but added the caveat, “Peace requires painful concessions.”

In addition to demands that Israel remove all its security measures designed to prevent terrorist attacks on its civilians, such as checkpoints, Gaza crossing closures and counterterror operations, Abbas has not backed down on a demand for Israel to hand over half of Jerusalem to become the capital of a new PA state.

A senior government minister told the Hebrew newspaper Maariv on Monday that ‘the agreement brokered by the Yemenites is one of two things – either it is an accord that will lead to the end of the Hamas regime, or it is a connection between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Hamas, which we cannot abide.”

Fatah at the Table with Hamas in Yemen
Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmed and Hamas’s Moussa Abu Marzouk met for direct talks for the first time on Sunday since the marathon negotiations began in an effort to determine how Hamas-controlled Gaza and Fatah-controlled Judea and Samaria would manage in an independent PA state.

The Reuters news agency reported Sunday that Abu Marzouk and al-Ahmed had signed a reconciliation deal at their meeting on Sunday. Associated Press later reported that the “deal” was actually an agreement to “accept the Yemen initiative as a framework for resuming dialogue.”

Marzouk told reporters that “no details were finalized” on the agreement to continue talks, particularly with regard to setting a timeline for the negotiations.

Abbas has received billions of dollars, and donations of thousands of new weapons including millions of rounds of ammunition from the US, Jordan, Israel and other nations. For at least a year, Fatah forces have also received advanced military training by US Army commanders.

All the assistance was provided on the strength of vows by Abbas that his Fatah group would not renew ties with Hamas, which has vowed to destroy Israel. International funding and other assistance to the PA dried up two years ago after Hamas won government elections in a landslide victory. Funds were to be unfrozen only if Hamas agreed to recognize the State of Israel, disarm and renounce terrorism and uphold previous PA government agreements, which to this day it refuses to do.

A civil war between the two factions ended in June 2006 with Hamas routing Fatah forces from Gaza – while confiscating all of Fatah’s new weaponry and ammunition generously provided by the US and other countries. Fatah has retained control of PA areas in Judea and Samaria.