ANALYSIS: Experts see Arab role foggy on Palestinian rift

By Abdul Jalil Mustafa Jun 20, 2007, 13:59 GMT

Amman - Arab countries appeared on Wednesday divided on how to deal with the Palestinian dilemma that surfaced after last week's takeover of the Gaza Strip by the Islamic radical Hamas group, according to Jordanian political analysts.

'Two axes appear to be gaining ground,' Ghazi Rababaa, professor of political science at the University of Jordan, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'Egypt (is) leading a move to cluster support around (Palestinian) President Mahmoud Abbas, while Saudi Arabia prefers dialogue' between Hamas and Abbas' more moderate Fatah, whose forces were crushed by Hamas militants in Gaza, the professor said.

Egypt's lead found expression in the symbolic but meaningful step of moving its diplomatic mission from Gaza to Ramallah.

The Saudis appear ready to toe a more neutral line by insisting on the Mecca accord as the term of reference for dealing with the inter-Palestinian feuding.

'This can be inferred from the latest remarks by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who made it clear that Riyadh would stick to the provisions of the Mecca agreement,' Rababaa said.

The February agreement came after Saudi leaders hosted a meeting at the Grand Mosque of Mecca that grouped leaders of Hamas (which swept the January 2006 general elections) and the electoral losers Fatah.

In compliance with the document, a Palestinian national unity government was formed in March with Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader, returned as prime minister.

The March cabinet failed however to draw across-the-board support from the world's donors, which insisted on the boycott of Hamas ministers, a move largely seen as one of the key factors that prompted the recent military confrontation in Gaza.

'I believe the United States and other donors will be putting pressure on all Arab countries to join Egypt in extending outright support to Abbas to give the impression that a prosperous Palestinian entity can emerge in the West Bank, while the Gaza Strip remains an isolated territory,' Rababaa said.

He made note of the backing voiced over the past few days for the newly-formed Palestinian emergency government by the United States and the European Union, which also promised to resume economic aid to the Palestinian Authority that was suspended following Hamas' election victory 18 months ago.

Other analysts saw a very slim chance of the Palestinian division being patched up without Arab intervention.

'I don't see any chance of bridging the Palestinian gap without Arab intervention,' Taher Adwan, chief editor of the daily newspaper al-Arab al-Yawm, told dpa.

'Arab governments have first to come up with a formula to deal with the issue other than the Mecca agreement, which is no longer suitable for addressing Palestinian feuds.'

'This is because no chance now exists of forming a Palestinian national unity government that groups Hamas and Fatah again,' he added.

'One of the possible scenarios is a compromise between Saudi Arabia and (key Hamas supporter) Syria,' he said.

An Arab League investigation panel was set up last week to probe Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, but the move hit immediate snags when Abbas' Fatah movement appeared to have rejected the idea.

Hamas' Jordanian ally, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), seemed to attach special importance to the Arab role in addressing the Palestinian split, but they saw the success of such an effort conditional on preserving Arab 'impartiality.'

'The international and Arab bias with any party will not serve the Palestinian cause or Palestinian unity,' the IAF said in a statement.

The IAF, the political arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, urged the governments of Jordan and other Arab countries 'to take a neutral stand and to respect the democratic choice of the Palestinian people,' a reference to the majority that Hamas enjoys in the Palestinian Legislative Council.