(Jewish Insider) Lahav Harkov - According to Palestinian affairs expert and Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Fellow Khaled Abu Toameh, "the clans are making a comeback." Clans were the power centers in Palestinian society before the Palestinian Authority was established. Israel has already reached out to some of these ostensibly unaligned Palestinian clans. However, Abu Toameh explained that no one in Gaza can safely be totally unaffiliated. Anyone coordinating humanitarian aid needs the protection of either Hamas or the PA. "There have been statements of some clans pledging allegiance to Hamas and others to the PA, which shows the power struggle between Hamas and the PA in Gaza." The Palestinian Authority recently began playing a major role in distributing aid in Gaza, he said. "In the last few days, we hear a lot about increased cooperation between Israel and the PA to secure aid into Gaza. The PA had a lot of Palestinian officers in Gaza before the Hamas coup in 2007 and some of these officers were instructed by the PA to help bring in humanitarian aid trucks to northern Gaza. This was done only after the PA received permission from Israel....It seems that's why in the last few days there haven't been any incidents over the delivery of aid." The Palestinians working with Israel in recent days "are clan leaders, local officials or activists with Fatah. Some are just ordinary people not affiliated with any group, local aid workers." All kinds of relief groups have suddenly been established. "The best-known secret is that the PA has its hand in it," he said. This situation not only works well for Israel, whose official position opposes Palestinian Authority involvement, but for the PA, whose "biggest fear is being depicted as coming back into Gaza through Israel....So they call them security firms, relief workers, clan members," Abu Toameh said. "Israel should work with any Palestinians who want to work with them. It serves Israel's interest....Obviously, something is happening."
2024-03-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive