Mashaal. Erased names with whiteout
Photo: Reuters
Hamas-Jihad tensions 'could weaken truce'
Names of Islamic Jihad representatives erased from guest list of Doha Conference on Jerusalem. Arab source tells Ynet move raised tensions between organizations, may lead Jihad to consider whether to extend ceasefire with Israel
Recent tensions between the Islamic Jihad's
secretary-general, Dr. Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, and Hamas
politburo chief Khaled Mashaal are said to reduce the chances of extending the ceasefire
declared between Israel
and the Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip.
The sources reported that the names of Sallah, a member of the Conference on Jerusalem's board of trustees, and of Anwar Abu Taha, a senior Jihad member and one of the founders of the conference, were erased with whiteout by the Hamas leadership from the guest list and replaced with names of Hamas representatives.
Sources in Lebanon and Gaza have told Ynet that the tension between the two men was increased after Hamas removed the Islamic Jihad from the Doha Conference on Jerusalem held in the Qatari capital in the past few days, aimed at raising funds for the Palestinian.
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According to the sources, this was Hamas' way of removing the Islamic Jihad from Qatar in order to be the only organization to handle the funds raised for the Palestinians.
"This move could impair the relations between the two movements, particularly in light of the fact that Sallah and the Islamic Jihad supported Hamas in its internal struggles and helped the truce succeed," one of the sources said.
"This situation brings about a reality in which the Islamic Jihad is no longer in Hamas' pocket and may reconsider the truce issue independently," the source added.
