(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Pinhas Inbari - While there are talks about a possible prisoner exchange deal with Israel, there is no single, strong Hamas leader in Gaza who is free to make such decisions. According to Palestinian sources in Ramallah, not everyone in Hamas' decision-making Shura council is on the same page. Competing leaders include council head Yahya Sinwar; Fathi Hamad, who represents the northern part of Gaza; Mahmoud al-Zahar, who represents Iranian interests; Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas Politburo; former Politburo head Khaled Mashal; and Saleh al-Arouri, based in Turkey. Egypt, through Sinwar, wants to collect the political rewards of a prisoner deal, while Qatar, together with Turkey, wants to spoil such a deal, as does Iran. As long as Sinwar cannot convince his colleagues, who are influenced by distant powers, he cannot cut a deal that Israel could accept. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs correspondent, is an analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2020-05-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive