The
New York Times reported on Saturday that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is
seeking to leverage its ties with Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to
increase pressure on Israel for an independent Palestinian state. According to
the newspaper, Brotherhood officials are pressing Hamas, its Palestinian
offshoot, to reconcile and work with their West Bank counterparts. A united
Palestinian front would be able to more successfully
The
intervention is a marked change from the past. The Muslim Brotherhood previously
denounced Fatah's relatively moderate stance toward Israel and its willingness
to negotiate with the Jewish state, accusing them of selling the dream of a
Palestinian state for political gains from the West.
According
to FJP Chairman of the Arab Affairs Committee Reda Fahmy, the Brotherhood's
Mohammed Badie asked Khalid Meshaal himself to "be more flexible,"
leading to Hamas' agreement to allow Fatah's president Mahmoud Abbas to lead
the first six months of a unity government in the Palestinian Territories until
new elections are held.
The
intervention is also one of the clearest signs of a newly-strengthened
Brotherhood's involvement in Egyptian politics and foreign affairs after it
swept the parliamentary elections. Egypt hosted reconciliation talks between
the two groups in February and also play a role in mediating internal
disputes in Hamas.
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