MIDDLE EAST BULLETIN GÜNLÜK ORTADOĞU BÜLTENİ 29 APRIL / NİSAN 2011 NO: 1148 CONTENTS / İÇİNDEKİLER

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2 MIDDLE EAST BULLETIN GÜNLÜK ORTADOĞU BÜLTENİ 29 APRIL / NİSAN 2011 NO: 1148 CONTENTS / İÇİNDEKİLER 1. IRAQ / IRAK Al-Iraqiya sets one week deadline for Maliki or withdraws confidence from PM Suicide bomber in Diyala kills 10, wounds 13 in prayer Parliament demands apology from al-iraqiya spokesman for Khomeini remark Iraq to supply S. Korea with 250,000 bpd of emergency crude oil 2. IRAN / İRAN Larijani: Regional nations rule out West's dominance Speaker calls for formation of fact finding mission on Bahrain Qatar supports resumption of Iran-Egypt ties İran ve Türkiye ilişkilerinin daha da gelişmesine vurgu yapıldı İran dan Hamas ve Fetih anlaşmasına destek İran ve Türkiye kamu alanında önemli deneyimlere sahipler 3. ISRAEL - PALESTINE / İSRAİL FİLİSTİN Netanyahu presses for U.S. action over Fatah-Hamas deal PA: New unity government to prepare elections and rehabilitate Gaza IDF, PA forces still coordinating despite Fatah-Hamas pact US to reconsider PA funding following unity deal Israel very concerned over plans to open Gaza border 4. AFRICA and EGYPT / AFRİKA ve MISIR Deadly blast devastates Marrakesh cafe Fighting on Libyan border crossing 5. JORDAN and LEBANON / ÜRDÜN ve LÜBNAN Lebanese press round-up: April 29, 2011 Sayfa 1

3 6. SYRIA and JORDAN / SURİYE ve ÜRDÜN Dera ve Telkelah ta İç Güvenlik Güçlerinden 2 Şehit 7 Yaralı El-Caferi: Suriye İç Sorunlarının Güvenlik Konseyinde Tartışılmasına Gerekçe Bulamıyor Reformların Uygulanmasında Türkiye nin Deneyimlerinden Faydalanmak Mümkün 7. ARABIAN PENINSULA AND THE GULF OF BASRA / ARAP YARIMADASI VE BASRA KÖRFEZİ Rallies in Yemen over protest deaths Bahrain sentences 4 protesters to death, and 3 to life imprisonment 8. SOUTH ASIA / GÜNEY ASYA PAKISTAN / PAKİSTAN Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable cruise missile President enacts law to secure foreign investments AFGHANISTAN / AFGANISTAN Three US-led troops injured in Kandahar Two US-led troops killed in Afghanistan US: Afghanistan withdrawal to be slow Sayfa 2

4 1. IRAQ / IRAK Al-Iraqiya sets one week deadline for Maliki or withdraws confidence from PM Erbil, April 29 (AKnews)- A leader from the major Iraqi parliamentary bloc, al-iraqiya, said Thursday his bloc expects the Prime Minister Nouri al-maliki to settle the dispute over the allocation of security ministries in one week or it will take back confidence from him. Ziyad Zarb Zubayee told AKnews the situation in Iraq cannot further withstand a government running without security ministers. After nine months of delay, Iraqi lawmakers gathered in parliament Dec.21 to elect the new government. Almost one month later, Maliki announced part of his new 44-member cabinet. However, the security ministers were among those ranks on which the disputes are still ongoing. The PM himself runs the three ministries of interior, defense and national security temporary. Maliki should reduce his comments against the candidates and observe them for a while, Zubayee advised the PM. If not satisfied with their conduct, he can strip them off their confidence, he added. Some al-iraqiya candidates for the suspended posts have been rejected by Maliki. Al-Iraqiya led by the former PM Iyad Allawi with 91 seats beat Maliki s State of Law Coalition (SLC) in March 7 elections with a difference of two seats. However, Maliki s Shia SLC allied with a number of other Shia blocs and formed National Coalition (NC) to precede al-iraqiya with over 150 seats. But al- Iraqiya regards the merger a device which deprived it from the PM post and a means that led to Shia dominance in Iraq. Al-Iraqiya PM warned should the government fail in resolving the security ministries dispute in one week, al-iraqiya will take position and demand parliament to withdrew confidence from Maliki. Zubayee criticized all the political parties who call for a national coalition government. Sayfa 3

5 He labeled such calls only slogans while he thought the demand will not be met as long as the parties are controlled by a narrow-minded mentality. As a proof for his claim, the lawmaker blamed the NC for sidelining his bloc and going against its promises and the strategic pact in Erbil. What led the Iraqi lawmaker gather in parliament was an initiative by Massoud Barzani Kurdistan Regional President. The president invited leaders from the rival parties to meet in Kurdistan capital, Erbil, in December. They signed a pact whereby al-iraqiya leader Allawi was promised a national council for strategic policies for compromising for Maliki over PM post. The new council had to be created three months after the government formation. However, four months after the pact, the government is yet to be fully formed. There is nothing new about the strategic policies council except regular complaints of al-iraqiya leaders, grumbling over the broken promises. ( Suicide bomber in Diyala kills 10, wounds 13 in prayer Diyala, April 29 (AKnews)- A police official from Diyala province said a suicide bombing attack in a Husseiniya in the province Thursday night left behind 23 causalities. Imad Tamimi, the police chief for Baladruz (southern Diyala) said the suicide bomber blew himself up at 19:30 local time when Shia adherents were conducting a mass prayer in a Husseiniya in Baladruz. Some 10 people died and 13 wounded in the attack, Tamimi said, the injury of some of them is very serious. Bombing, armed attacks, robbery and kidnapping have become recurrent scenes in Diyala province, centered in Baquba (55 km northeast of Baghdad). Even the almost daily arrest of Sayfa 4

6 wanted, suspects and the top leaders of the insurgent groups cannot contain the violence that has plunged the multiethnic province since the fall of Saddam Hussein regime in ( Parliament demands apology from al-iraqiya spokesman for Khomeini remark Baghdad, April 28 (AKnews) A deputy from the National Coalition (NC) s al-mihrab bloc said on Thursday that the presidency of the Iraqi parliament have demanded an apology from al-iraqiya spokesman Haider Mulla for a remark he made about the Iranian religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. Aziz Ugaili told AKnews that more than 50 Iraqi deputies signed a petition demanding that Mulla apologize for his remark, described by the leader of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq (ISCI) Ammar al-hakim as indecent. Haider Mulla s controversial comment came in a press communiqué in which he called on the Iranian authorities to release all Iraqi prisoners that have been in their custody since the 1980s. It makes no sense that the political process and the Iraqi citizens should pay for the foolishness committed by Saddam Hussein and Khomeini, he said. Ugaili warned that his bloc was ready to take measures if Mulla refuses to apologize. Fellow Mihrab bloc deputy Habib Hamza al-tarafi told AKnews: We demand that the al-iraqiya spokesman Haider Mulla apologises formally because Imam Khomeini is an important Islamic figure and a reference for the Shiite community. ( Iraq to supply S. Korea with 250,000 bpd of emergency crude oil Sayfa 5

7 London, April 28 (AKnews) The latest Reuters reports reveal that South Korea has signed a new crude oil deal with Iraq for the provision of at least 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) in an emergency situation. The S. Korean ministry of knowledge economy announced that the deal is equivalent to 10% of the country s 2.4m bpd crude oil imports. The emergency situation refers to when South Korea cannot purchase crude oil even with money, and this deal is to ensure stable supply, an official from the ministry said. The statement issued by the ministry also said that priority would be given to Iraq for the supply of crude oil in a longer-term contract if they are willing. Last year, S. Korea imported 60 million barrels of crude oil from Iraq, around 7% of its total 872m barrel imports. A 20% hike in US crude prices has seen consumers in the world s largest economies beginning to show signs of strain. NYMEX crude for June CLc1 jumped 66 cents to $ a barrel this morning, after reaching a peak of $ London Brent crude LCOc1 rose by 55 cents to $ a barrel. Iraq, an OPEC member, has the world's fourth-largest oil reserves and extracts around 700 million cubic feet of gas each day from its southern oilfields. The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-maliki who is currently in S. Korea spoke ontuesday of plans to discuss Iraq's post-war reconstruction and public services in the country during his visit. "There are bilateral dialogues between the two countries to sign a comprehensive convention of services and reconstruction," he said at a press conference in Baghdad. "The convention will include the transport, housing, health, education, higher education and electricity sectors". According to the S. Korean press, President Lee Myung- bak has asked the Iraqi leader for support for South Korean companies wishing to tap into Iraq's oil field development, stressing Sayfa 6

8 that cooperation in the energy sector can later expand into cooperation on infrastructurebuilding. ( 2. IRAN / İRAN Larijani: Regional nations rule out West's dominance Tehran, April 28, IRNA Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that big powers have failed to understand current realities in the Middle East region as regional nations would by no means yield to the dominance of western powers. According to Majlis' Information and Press Bureau, Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Chief Justice of South Korea Lee Yong-hoon Wednesday afternoon. Current situation in the Middle East region has rooted from the double-standard policies as well as adventurism of big powers in the region, Larijani said. He criticized Western powers approach towards Iran including questioning the country's human rights records and its peaceful nuclear program as well as imposing various sanctions against the country. However, Larijani stressed that the Iranian nation were determined to resist against all pressures and conspiracies made by West. He also called for expansion of Tehran-Seoul relations and cooperation in all fields. The Korean official, for his part, voiced Seoul s willingness for promtion of bilateral ties with Tehran. Sayfa 7

9 He also expressed hope that the two capitals strengthen bilateral judicial cooperation in the future. He stressed that the age of superpowers was over and nations would decide about their own destiny and their rulers. ( Speaker calls for formation of fact finding mission on Bahrain Tehran, April 28, IRNA Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has called for formation of a fact finding mission to examine current developments in Bahrain. Larijani made the remarks in a telephone conversation Wednesday evening with President of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Theo-Ben Gurirab. According to the Information and Press Bureau of Majlis, during the conversation, Larijani expressed concern over the tragic ongoing situation in Bahrain including the carnage of people, raping women and mosques destruction. He referred to the situation as a catastrophe against human rights. Referring to those countries that have dispatched military forces along with military apparatus to Bahrain, Larijani said they were red-handed for massacre of innocent and defenseless people. He stressed that it was the duty of the IPU not to stay silent vis-a-vis such brutalities. Meanwhile, the IPU official expressed concern, for his part, over current developments in Bahrain. He also welcomed Larijani's proposal for setting up a fact-finding committee on Bahrain. ( Sayfa 8

10 Qatar supports resumption of Iran-Egypt ties Cairo, April 28, IRNA Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani said his country supports the resumption of ties between Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt. Sheikh Hamad made the remark in a meeting with the Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf in Qatar's capital of Doha on Thursday. He noted that all Persian Gulf countries have embassies in Iran and Egypt's resumption of ties with Iran will cause no concern for any country. 'There is no cause for concern because if Tehran and Cairo resume their ties it will not adversely affect its relations with the Arab countries of the region,' Sheikh Hamad added. Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, for his part, said that Cairo has currently friendly ties with Iran and everything is going well. ( İran ve Türkiye ilişkilerinin daha da gelişmesine vurgu yapıldı Tahran, 29 Nisan İran İslam Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı Birinci Yardımcısı Muhammed Rıza Rahimi, İran ve Türkiye'nin bütün alanlarda ikili işbirliği ve ilişkilerini geliştirmesi gerektiğini vurguladı. MHA - Türkiye gümrük genel müdürü ve devlet bakanı Hayati Yazıcı ile görüşmesinde bu açıklamayı yapan Rahimi, iki ülkenin potansiyellerinin çok fazla olduğuna temas ederek, sözkonusu potansiyelden ilişkilerin geliştirilmesi için yararlanılmasının iki ülkenin yararına olacağını söyledi. Sayfa 9

11 İran ve Türkiye'nin transit bölümündeki gücüne değinen İran Cumhurbaşkanı Birinci Yardımcısı, iki ülke demiryollarının birbirine bağlanmasının transit alanında çok büyük gelişme ve aynı zamanda çok iyi gelir sağlanmasına vesile olacağını kaydetti. Rahimi, iki ülke kamu personelinin elektronik devlet gibi alanlarda eğitimi konusunda yapılan anlaşmanın da ikili ilişkilerin geliştirilmesi ayrı bir etkisinin olacağını söyledi. Sözkonusu görüşmede Türkiye gümrük genel müdürü Hayati Yazıcı da, iki ülke arasında varılan anlaşmalara temas ederek, iki ülkenin çok değişik alanlarda çok büyük işbirliği yapma imkanına sahip olduğunu ve Türkiye'nin ilişkileri en üst düzeye çıkarma konusunda bir sorununun olmadığını söyledi. ( İran dan Hamas ve Fetih anlaşmasına destek Tahran, 29 Nisan 2011 İran İslam Cumhuriyeti Dışişleri Bakanı, Hamas ve Fatih arasında sağlanan anlaşmanın mazul Filistin mileltinin tarihi amaçlarının gerçekleşmesi yolunda olumlu ve mübarek bir adım olarak niteledi. Mehr haber ajansının bildirdiğine göre, Hamas ve Fetih arasında sağlanan anlaşmayı, Filistin milletinin tarihi amaçlarının gerçekleşmesi yolunda olumlu ve mübarek adım şeklinde değerlendiren Ali Ekber Salihi, Mısır ın yeni yönetiminin bu yolda sarfettiği çabaları takdir ettiğini belirtti. Filistinli gruplar arasında vahdet ve direnişi, mazlum Filistin halkının haklarını geri alma yolunda iki önemli etken olarak değerlendiren Salihi, son anlaşmanın Filistin de gelişmelerin sürecini hızlandırmasını ve işgalcilere karşı büyük zaferlere vesile olmasını temenni etti. Salihi ayrıca Refah sınır kapısının bir an önce açılması ve Gazze halkının temel ihtiyaçlarının karşılanmasının da sağlanan anlaşmanın bir parçası olmasını diledi. ( Sayfa 10

12 İran ve Türkiye kamu alanında önemli deneyimlere sahipler Tahran, 29 Nisan Türkiye Devlet Bakanı Hayati Yazıcı, köklü geçmişleri olan Türkiye ve İran'ın, kamu alanında önemli deneyimleri sahip olduğunu söyledi. MHA - Bakan Yazıcı, İran ve Türkiye arasında ''kamu yönetimi, kamu personeli sisteminin geliştirilmesi ve desteklenmesi alanlarında işbirliğine ilişkin mutabakat zaptının'' Tahran'da imzalanmasının ardından İran Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Lütfullah Furuzande Dehkurdi ile ortak basın toplantısı düzenledi. Kaliteli, verimli ve seri kamu hizmeti üretmek bakımından bu anlaşmanın her iki devletin personel çalışması konusunda önemli bir zemin teşkil edeceğine inandığını belirten Yazıcı, ''Gerek Türkiye gerekse İran, tarih bakımından çok derin geçmişi olan devletler. Önemli kamu yönetimi deneyimleri var'' dedi. Türkiye'de kamu personeliyle alakalı Devlet Personel Başkanlığı ve Türkiye Orta Doğu Amme İdaresi Enstitüsünün çok önemli ve zengin çalışmaları olduğunu ifade eden Bakan Yazıcı, ''Bizim anlayışımıza göre devlet bir hizmet kurumudur ve bu hizmet kurumunu oluşturan halktır, millettir. Dolayısıyla bir hizmet ünitesi olan devletin, halkına ve milletine seri, kaliteli hizmet üretme görevi vardır'' diye konuştu. ''Bizim kamu anlayışının merkezinde birey vardır, insan vardır. Onun huzuru, güvenli ve mutlu olması esastır'' diyen Yazıcı, kamu hizmeti ve onu hayata geçirecek olan kamu personelinin ifade edilen hedefi gerçekleştirecek donanımda, kapasitede ve kalitede olması gerektiğini söyledi. Bakan Yazıcı, bugün imzalanan protokolün işlerliğini hayata geçirebilmek için iki ülkenin birer koordinatör görevlendireceğini belirtti. ''Önemli amaçlarımız bakımından bu anlaşma bir başlangıçtır'' şeklinde konuşan Yazıcı, ''Umuyor ve diliyorum ki, bu anlaşma şartları arasında yer alan amaçlar, hedefler uygulamaya dönüşür ve her iki ülkenin kamu personelinin ürettiği hizmet kalitesi artar'' ifadesini kullandı. Türkiye ve İran arasında 16 Nisan'da açılışı yapılan Kapıköy-Razi gümrük kapısında bazı gazetelerde yer alan soruna da değinen Yazıcı, ''Herhalde beklenmedik bir durum olmuş. İranlı Sayfa 11

13 yetkililer, kendilerinden kaynaklanan sorunun bir iki gün içinde halledileceğini belirttiler. Bundan duyduğum memnuniyet de belirtmek istiyorum'' dedi. Bakan Yazıcı, İran'ın nükleer enerji faaliyetleri ve Batı ile yürütülen müzakerelere ilişkin Türkiye'nin mevcut tutumunun ne kadar süreceğini soran bir gazeteciye şu cevabı verdi: ''Bu konuda bizim duruşumuz gayet açık ve net. Bunu gerek Başbakanımız gerek Dışişleri Bakanımız hatta bazen Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımız ifade etmişlerdir. Bu, bilinen ve ifade edilen sözler ve sergilenen duruşun ötesinde ilave edeceğim başka bir husus yoktur.'' İran İslam Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Lütfullah Furuzande Dehkurdi, her iki ülkenin kamu yönetimi sisteminde düşünceleri ve tecrübeleri olduğunu, bunların paylaşımının kamu yönetimi sistemini geliştireceğini söyledi. İran ve Türkiye ilişkilerinin mevcut durumunun kamu yönetimi sistemi alanında işbirliğine zemin hazırladığını kaydeden Dehkurdi, kamu yönetimi sisteminde az masraflar, hızlı ve kaliteli hizmetin önemli olduğunu ifade etti. Kamuda sistem ve teknolojilerin günümüz şartlarıyla uyumlu hale getirilmesinin önemine değinen Dehkurdi, ''İmzaladığımız protokol, her iki ülkenin kamu yönetimi sistemini geliştirme konusunda ciddi bir iradeye sahip olduklarını gösteriyor'' dedi. Uzmanların yaklaşık bir yıllık çalışması sonucu protokolün imzalanabilir hale getirildiğini dile getiren Dehkurdi, olası bürokratik sorunlara rağmen iki taraftaki ciddi iradeyle protokol içeriğinin uygulanacağını söyledi. Devlet Bakanı Yazıcı ve İran Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Dehkurdi tarafından imzalanan ''kamu yönetimi, kamu personeli sisteminin geliştirilmesi ve desteklenmesi işbirliği protokolü'' karşılıklı çalışma ziyaretlerinin yapılmasını, birer koordinatör görevlendirilmesini, bu alandaki yayınların mübadelesini ve e-devlet konusunda tecrübelerin paylaşımını öngörüyor. Kamu yönetimi ve kamu personel sisteminin işleyişinin incelenmesi ve araştırılması, idari sistem reformlarının incelenmesi, kamu yönetimi ve kamu personel sisteminin geliştirilmesi ve desteklenmesine yönelik eğitim kursları ve seminerler düzenlenerek karşılıklı bilgi aktarımında bulunulması, kamu görevlilerinin mesleki gelişimi konusunda bilgi ve tecrübe aktarımında Sayfa 12

14 bulunulması, tarafların üzerinde anlaşmaya vardığı benzer konularda işbirliği faaliyetleri yürütülmesi gibi başlıklar protokolün işbirliğiyle ilgili konularını oluşturuyor. Devlet Bakanı Yazıcı, Tahran'daki ziyaretleri kapsamında ilk olarak İran Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Lütfullah Furuzande Dehkurdi ile bir araya geldi. Yazıcı, İran Ekonomi ve Maliye Bakanı Şemseddin Hüseyni ve resmi temaslarının son bölümünde İran Cumhurbaşkanı Birinci Yardımcısı Muhammed Rıza Rahimi ile görüştü. Öğlen saatlerinde Tahran'a gelen Bakan Yazıcı'nın akşam saatlerinde Türkiye'ye dönmesi bekleniyor. ( 3. ISRAEL - PALESTINE / İSRAİL FİLİSTİN Netanyahu presses for U.S. action over Fatah-Hamas deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted T Thursday in discussions with a visiting delegation of U.S. Congress members that the United States should consider stopping economic aid to the Palestinian Authority if a Hamas- Fatah unity government did not recognize Israel and renounce terror. Netanyahu also told the seven U.S. lawmakers that Israel would not recognize a Palestinian unity government if it did not meet these conditions. Israel would not recognize any government in the world that included members from Al-Qaida, Netanyahu said. Speaking to the American legislators, Netanyahu quoted remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April 2009, that Israel would not hold talks with or economically support a Palestinian government, including Hamas, until Hamas recognized Israel and abandoned violence. Sayfa 13

15 Senior government officials familiar with the details of yesterday s meeting of the septet said the main decision was to launch a diplomatic campaign, with particular emphasis on the European Union, to thwart international recognition of the unified Fatah-Hamas government. Intelligence officials told the septet that Hamas had agreed to sign a reconciliation agreement with Fatah out of Hamas fears over the implications for its organization in light of the riots in Syria. Joining the ministers at the meeting were Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, MI chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and senior figures in the Mossad and the Shin Bet security service. ). Hamas alliance with Bashar Assad has been harshly criticized in the Arab world. Israel is expected to demand that the international community boycott the new government if it does not meet the conditions the Quartet has set for Hamas. After Hamas won a majority in the 2006 elections to the Palestinian parliament, the Quartet consisting of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations demanded that Hamas recognize Israel and existing agreements and renounce terror in exchange for international recognition. Foreign Ministry Director General Rafael Barak sent a classified cable to Israel s ambassadors to the EU, directing them to to make clear that Israel expects European leaders not to automatically release statements welcoming the Palestinian unity government. Hamas is a terror organization and the demand must first be made that it meet the conditions of the Quartet, he wrote. Sayfa 14

16 Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday said Israel asked its friends in the world not to talk to Hamas, unless the group undergoes deep and fundamental changes by dismantling its terror infrastructure and accepting the Quartet s conditions. In an interview yesterday on Army Radio, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for sanctions against the PA, such as withholding tax revenues. However, senior officials in Jerusalem and the septet have decided for now not to take punitive steps against the PA but rather to wait for clarification about the platform of a new Palestinian government. Most of the European announcements about the Palestinian unity government emerging yesterday did not include the Israeli demands. European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the European Union has long been calling for internal Palestinian reconciliation. The German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, said in a statement that Hamas is not a dialogue partner for us because we don t work with organizations that fight with violence against Israel s right to exist. ( Sayfa 15

17 PA: New unity government to prepare elections and rehabilitate Gaza Abbas tells delegation representing a group promoting an Israeli peace initiative that Fatah would be in charge of policy and that he would not allow violence. By Avi Issacharoff RAMALLAH Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of Israeli politicians and business people yesterday in Ramallah that the new Palestinian unity government will be responsible for two issues only: preparing for elections within a year from the signing of the reconciliation agreement, and the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip. Abbas told the delegation representing a group promoting an Israeli peace initiative that Fatah, meaning Abbas himself would be in charge of policy and that he would not allow violence. He would continue to maintain the principle of a single authority and rule of law, and negotiations could continue with Israel, he said. Despite Abbas attempt to reassure the Israeli delegation and decision-makers in Washington, many ), an official ceremony is to include Abbas and the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshal. But it is still unclear what the direction of the unity government and what its powers will be, and the nature of the relationship between Hamas and Fatah, and of the new government and Israel. In a related development, Egyptian F - Sayfa 16

18 Not only do Israeli intelligence officials not know whether the Palestinian factions really intend to reconcile in the coming days, even Abbas himself and senior Fatah leaders knew nothing about it until very recently. The move to reconciliation has been almost entirely a Hamas move, backed by Egypt. But why would Abbas decide to go for reconciliation with Hamas now, with its popularity at its height, and he needs broad international support ahead of his approach to the United Nations General Assembly? The answer is that he had no choice. Abbas himself, smiling and relaxed as usual, told the Israelis yesterday that Fatah signed an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement on October , which Hamas had refused to do. He said that only Wednesday, Fatah representatives were invited to a meeting with Hamas and Egyptian intelligence, where they were informed of Hamas willingness to sign. Under those circumstances, Abbas said, he could not go back on his word. Gaza Strip Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told Channel 10 yesterday that Abbas knew nothing about the reconciliation agreement. He said that Hamas had met with Egyptian intelligence in March, and after a round of consultations, Hamas told the Egyptians that talks could go forward. Zahar insisted that Hamas was united in its move toward a unity government, However, it is still unclear how widespread that agreement is. For example, even if Hamas military chief in Gaza, Ahmed Jabari, agrees to stop missile fire at Israel until Palestinian elections next year, it is hard to imagine him agreeing to disarm thousands of militants if Fatah wins a majority. A Palestinian commentator present at yesterday s meeting said he believed the Palestinian territories might soon begin to resemble the Kurdish region of Iraq in that there would be one government but with limited authority and every group would manage the security in its own region. At one end of the table, business leader Idan Ofer said at yesterday s meeting that he had recently opened a bank account in Ramallah and wanted to help the Palestinian economy as much as possible. But at the other end of the table was the PA s minister of civilian affairs, Hussein a-sheikh, who is in charge of security and civilian coordination with Israel. Like many Sayfa 17

19 other Fatah officials, a-sheikh cannot yet know how such coordination will look in a post-unity era. Abbas declined to respond to a question on this issue, saying that he did not want to hurt the reconciliation agreement in the making. Abbas also declined to respond to a question from Haaretz about the political prisoners held by each side, of which there are said to be hundreds. Most are not accused of terror attacks but rather of illegal possession of weapons or incitement. Still, the release of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank could create a new reality in terms of security for Israel as well as the PA. Abbas said the PA had no political prisoners, perhaps hinting that the PA did not intend to release them. Still, it is doubtful Hamas will agree to a reconciliation that does not include a release of its prisoners. At a joint press conference Wednesday night with Fatah representative Azzam al-ahmed, senior Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzouk announced that we have reached the end of a painful period for the Palestinian people. But he may have spoken too soon. A few dozen Palestinians gathered at Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza to celebrate the end of the split, and the Hamas police dispersed them violently. ( IDF, PA forces still coordinating despite Fatah-Hamas pact Security cooperation between Israel and the PA has greatly increased over the past two years as the Palestinians have sought to block attempts by Hamas to gain influence in the West Bank. By Anshel Pfeffer Sayfa 18

20 No decisions have been made by the Israel Defense Forces regarding any changes in security cooperation with Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank following the announcement of a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. Contacts between IDF officers on the ground and their West Bank Palestinian counterparts are projecting business as usual. Security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which is led by Fatah, has greatly increased over the past two years as the Palestinians have sought to block attempts by Hamas to gain influence in the West Bank, following the group s takeover of the Gaza Strip. Israel s primary interest in the security cooperation has been preventing terrorist attacks. Following the improvement in relations with counterparts in the West Bank and the deployment of American-trained Palestinian battalions, the IDF allowed the Palestinians to expand their range of control over West Bank cities and in some village areas, along with a reduction in the number of IDF incursions into the cities. In cases in which the IDF has entered Palestinian towns, usually to carry out arrests, Palestinian forces have withdrawn to avoid conflict with the Israeli army. This is what occurred at the beginning of this week when IDF forces entered Nablus to investigate Sunday s killing of an Israeli near Joseph s Tomb. Commanders in the West Bank division of the IDF and the coordination staff of the IDF Civil Administration in the West Bank meet regularly with senior Palestinian officials, and these Palestinians are reportedly expressing a continued desire to coordinate their activities with Israel. IDF sources rejected contentions by Israeli politicians that there was no advance warning of a possible conciliation accord with Hamas. Although there was no specific information about the prospect of an agreement being signed in Cairo, IDF intelligence officials have long anticipated a possible framework agreement between Fatah and Hamas. The IDF s Sayfa 19