On July 23, representatives of Fatah (the political party that governs the West Bank) and representatives of Hamas concluded a three-day summit in Beijing by signing an interim national-unity agreement. Eight days later, Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran. Khaled Abu Toameh examines what his death implies for Palestinian politics:
Public opinion polls conducted by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research over the past decade have consistently shown that Haniyeh is the only Hamas leader who could defeat [the current Fatah leader Mahmoud] Abbas in a Palestinian presidential election.
At times, it seemed that Abbas and other Fatah leaders were on good terms with Haniyeh. Despite the Fatah-Hamas rivalry, Abbas and Haniyeh did not hesitate to meet or talk over the phone to discuss various issues, particularly ways of “reconciling” their rival parties. . . . Shortly after Haniyeh’s death, Abbas and Fatah issued separate statements in which they strongly condemned the killing as a “cowardly act” and “a dangerous development.” Such statements, however, are viewed by many Palestinians as mere lip service directed towards the Palestinian public.
The death of Haniyeh, on the other hand, is likely to hinder efforts to achieve “national unity” between Fatah and Hamas. Haniyeh was one of the few Hamas leaders who fully supported mediation efforts . . . to end the Fatah-Hamas dispute.
As for Hamas itself, Khaled Meshal, who was head of the terrorist group’s politburo prior to Haniyeh, was favored to resume the position. But Yahya Sinwar, the organization’s leader within Gaza, has reportedly tried to prevent his return. Yoni Ben Menachem writes:
Iran opposes Khaled Meshal’s election as the temporary successor and is expected to attempt to thwart his appointment. Meshal opposes the military and political alliance between Hamas and Shiite Iran, favoring stronger ties with the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood axis led by Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Should Israel succeed in eliminating Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, Meshal’s chances of securing the position could increase.
Read more on Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: https://jcpa.org/ismail-haniyehs-place-in-palestinian-politics/