Hamas Terrorists to Join Fatah's PA Forces?
by Maayana Miskin
Follow Israel news on http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140474
A senior Fatah official says that if Fatah and Hamas reconcile, Hamas terrorists will be granted PA protection. The official, Gaza-based Faisal Abu Shahla, also indicated that Hamas terrorists would be included in PA armed forces.
In an interview with the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency, Abu Shahlah said that when it comes to security under a Fatah-Hamas unity deal, Fatah is “protecting resistance which is committed to the political decision.” The word “resistance” is the term PA leaders use to refer to terrorism against Israel.
“We refuse to politicize the security men who should work on a professional basis,” he said. The promise not to “politicize” Hamas' armed forces appeared to be a reference to their inclusion in the overall PA armed forces if Hamas were to rejoin the PA leadership.
Shahlah's remarks were made in response to Hamas leaders' concern over a proposed Egyptian unity deal. Hamas leaders had said they were worried for the safety of their armed terrorist factions if they were to reconcile with Fatah.
Hamas and Fatah agreed to jointly control the PA in 2006, after Hamas' victory in the PA parliamentary elections. However, the two groups split in the summer of 2007 when Hamas seized control of Gaza in a bloody coup.
In the following years Arab leaders made efforts to reconcile the two groups, and Fatah and Hamas leaders met to talk. The two factions continue to trade charges of violence, with each group accusing the other of unfairly detaining and torturing its members.
To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.