Epstein Secrets

is particularly skeptical about Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal's sudden embrace of Palestinian reconciliation with the West Bank-based rival Fatah party, fearing the move will end the group's five-year run as the rulers of the Gaza Strip. The power struggle is likely to shape Hamas' policies i

r said, "See, all of these fingers are on the same hand. Some are long, some are stout. But when we grasp something, it is together." Still it was Zahar who was seen as having broken ranks over the last year with his public and personal attacks on Meshaal for pursuing the reconciliation deal and fai

me see as an indirect acceptance of Israel's existence even though Hamas officially refuses to recognize Israel. In an interview at his Gaza home, Zahar, once viewed by the West as a moderate, acknowledged the debate within Hamas, but said the divisions were being exaggerated and exploited by its en

some resources. Its leaders have even mulled publicly what for years would have been unthinkable — inviting the presidential guard loyal to rival Fatah back to help keep the border with Egypt open. (They quickly recanted.) The mounting pressure on Hamas has implications beyond the 141 square miles

ic backlash against what they called a coup could yet lead to the Brotherhood's resurgence. "Our policy right now is to keep the people quiet," Mr. Zahar said. "We have to keep our people highly immunized against the extreme attitude." Mr. el-Zaza, the finance minister, declined to say what spending

hree senior Hamas leaders — Ziad el-Zaza, the finance minister and deputy prime minister; Ghazi Hamad, who handles foreign affairs; and Mahmoud al- Zahar, a hard-liner — said they were taking a "wait and see" EFTA_R1_00441198 EFTA01964450 approach to Egypt, hoping that perhaps the tide could turn t

hat the Palestinian security forces in places like Ain el-Hilweh are mostly under-qualified, ill- equipped, and too few in number, have prompted one Fatah official in Lebanon to declare they have "lost control" of the camps. Hamas echoed this statement with its recent launch of a "harmony campaign" in

al-Attiyah visited Tehran for that purpose. The source added that last week, Iran gave the green light for Meshaal's visit after contacts between Zahar and Marwan Issa, a senior leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing. This long overdue visit will culminate in Meshaal meeting

condemning the Palestinian strategy to seek recognition as a state from the U.N. General Assembly in September. He also questioned the accord between Fatah and Hamas. Obama endorsed the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state, a demand Israel has made in recent years. Instead of thanking Obama for this

y surprising as Hamas is known for the discipline of its cadres and members. In an interview carried by the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday, Zahar criticized the statements made by Hamas leader Khalid Meshal on 4 May in Cairo during the signing of the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and H