Epstein Secrets

deal, describing Hamas-Egypt relations as "markedly improving" following a period of high tension brought about by the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi last July. There has also been recent talk of a possible visit by Meshaal to Tehran to restore the ties that have been damaged by the Syria crisis.

with Tehran is as it was in the past, but there are efforts to repair it." The text of the interview follows: Al-Monitor: Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are skeptical about the prospects of reconciliation. Are you confident that it will be implemented, in light of past failures? And why are the Pale

and [their right] to form their political system." EFTA00662933 The source conceded that the turn in regional events following former President Mohammed Morsi's ouster in Egypt has hastened the progress of Iran-Hamas ties. Improvement in ties between Qatar, which is home to Meshaal, and Iran is also a key

n the Nobel Prize and leave us in quiet," Ya'alon said. ("Quiet," it seems, is how Ya'alon foresees the consequences of permanent Israeli rule over the West Bank.) Ya'alon didn't deny the comments. It took him a day, and a press statement from State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki labeling his words "offens

st aspects of U.S.-Egypt cooperation and would be prepared to share power with other groups. Contrary to some early predictions, the government of Mohammed Morsi did not abrogate the Egyptian peace treaty with Israel, nor did it seek to interrupt relations with the United States, although it did move to dist

EFTA01964448 It could serve to strengthen President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and his more moderate Fatah faction that dominates the West Bank just as Washington-orchestrated peace talks get under way. It also adds another volatile element to the rapidly changing landscape across the regio

ion Pillar of Defense" the prime minister traveled to the region to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas. A further reason Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi -- a former Muslim Brotherhood leader -- dispatched the prime EFTA_R1_00463817 EFTA01977315 minister to Gaza was to show solidarity with the Pa

Palestinian cause than before, which is partially Israel's fault -- if Israel didn't EFTA R1 00463823 EFTA01977326 appear to be a colonizer of the West Bank, it would find more sympathy. Jews, and certainly a Jewish state, are never going to win popularity contests, but the situation wouldn't seem qui

minate the hard-line Sharia law advocate, IChairat El-Shater, as their presidential candidate, the Moslem Brotherhood went to their second choice, Mohammed Morsi. The election commission disqualified many of the top candidates who had announced their intentions to run and the Brotherhood had been given the

ony Blair. But it is perhaps the opinion of Palestinian citizens themselves that is most telling. A community leader in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank, once a center of conflict, compared the period before 2007, when "the camp was controlled by militias and thugs who partially financed their regi

o collect and process the gas—a special irony considering Egypt was once Israel's own longtime source of natural gas until the now-ousted President Mohammed Morsi cut off the supply in early 2013. A third option would be to create a major liquid-natural-gas hub in conjunction with Cyprus, only 250 miles as th

allow. So while Hezbollah and Hamas are managing to keep Israeli gas out of Gaza and Lebanon, at least for now, Israel is opting instead to pump to the West Bank. Noble already signed a 20-year contract to supply the Palestine Power Company, starting in 2016 or 2017. A similar contract with Jordan is in the

srael has since eased some restrictions, but still bars virtually all exports and restricts the imports of key raw materials. Mubarak's successor, Mohammed Morsi — who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood — has been reluctant to open the Gaza-Egypt border to trade, in part because this could inadvertently foste

, including three roads, a hospital and a new town that will bring thousands of jobs to the impoverished territory. Hamas' Palestinian opponents in the West Bank were watching the emir's plans with some concern. They fear that any gestures that strengthen Hamas' hold on Gaza will make the Islamists less incl

he indicated support for the Syrian uprising. People close to him claim that he's had EFTA00711878 "offers of welcome" from Egypt's new President Mohammed Morsi as well as the emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad al-Thani. A native of the West Bank, Meshaal has already ruled out moving to Gaza, where M be surrounde

gs Amir Taheri September 28, 2012 -- The Arab Spring may finally have reached the Palestinians. Protests against the rival authorities in Gaza and the West Bank haven't become the kind of full-scale revolts that hit Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria. But there is a growing sense that the leaderships of

's Muslim Brotherhood Leaders? Steven A. Cook Sep 1 2012 -- It has certainly been an interesting month in Egypt. As of a few weeks ago, President Mohammed Morsi had consolidated his power by ousting the military's senior command, firing the chief of General Intelligence, and canceling the Supreme Council of

h during their meeting in Cairo last month. Hamas views the tunnels as a matter of life and death, whilst the Palestinian Authority [PA] — based in the West Bank — supports their closure and destruction. The PA has claimed that 600 new millionaires have made their fortunes thanks to the tunnels, at the expen

fate of its activists, some of whom have been or are still involved in controversial legal proceedings? What about Mubarak's fate and the trials of Mohammed Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood figures? Would the media relax a bit? Would there EFTA_R1_02211228 EFTA02724401 be any degree of transparent and just inv

anning to build a short pipeline to Jordan, a project that could help to stabilize the Jewish state's lone Arab partner and supply Palestinians in the West Bank. The Leviathan field's developers said Jan. 5 that they had signed a deal to sell 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Palestine Power Generation Co.