Epstein Secrets

d it will not allow any tampering with the brigades' armament under any circumstances," said the Hamas deputy leader. Abu Marzouk, who is based in Cairo, said he made a request to the Egyptian security services to permit him entry into Gaza to facilitate the deal, describing Hamas-Egypt relations as

t's commitment to his political line, was not agreed upon, and he alone is responsible for his words. Al-Monitor: How important is the emergence of Mohammed Dahlan as a political actor in the Gaza Strip once again? And what about his public dispute with Abbas concerning the reconciliation decision? Abu Marzou

rael has continued to build in the West Bank. Television footage of Abbas and Hamas politburo head Khaled Meshal clasping each other's shoulders in Cairo in May was accordingly greeted with hope, but also much wariness, in Ramallah. "They are like two prisoners fighting over scraps of bread, instead

of renewal. At its sixth party congress in 2009, the most influential movers included party strongman and former PA Gaza Preventive Security Chief Mohammed Dahlan, long considered Abbas's likeliest successor. Since fall 2010, however, Abbas has cut his erstwhile lieutenant down to size, and on May 13 he forma

try of "terrorism." The news sparked a wave of civil unrest in Egypt as police clashed with supporters of deposed President Morsi in the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere over the weekend. Similarly, supporters of the popular presidential hopeful also took to the street—including Cairo's Tah

Abbas continues to face an internal political battle, as he struggles to save face among the Palestinian public and fight off Fatah political rival Mohammed Dahlan, who is a Gaza native and Abbas's ex-security chief. Whether or not negotiators are able to agree to overcome this most recent impasse, with little

tant aspects of a functioning democratic system. Faith in democracy flares up in moments of triumph, such as the overthrow of unpopular regimes in Cairo or Kiev, only to sputter out once again. EFTA00684344 Outside the West, democracy often advances only to collapse. And within the West, democracy

hestrating a comeback that could position him as a potential successor to aging Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. In a phone interview from London, Mohammed Dahlan spoke of his aid projects in the Gaza Strip, his closeness to Egypt's military leaders and his conviction that the 79-year-old Abbas has left the P