The conflict between the Palestine National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) , also called the Palestinian Civil War , is an armed conflict between the two main factions of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) , which began in 2006 . Mostly armed clashes took place in the Gaza Strip , in June 2007, completely taken under control by Hamas supporters. The armed forces of the political forces mainly took part in the hostilities - the Autonomy Security Force, the police, the presidential guard, as well as the fighters of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade ( Fatah ) on the one hand and the Iz-al-Din al-Kassam Brigades ( Hamas , numbering up to 12 thousand) on the other.
| Fatah and Hamas Conflict | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Gaza map | |||
| date | October 20, 2006 - April 23, 2014 [1] | ||
| A place | Gaza Strip | ||
| Total | Hamas seizure of power in Gaza Strip | ||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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The cause of the conflict was the distribution of political influence in the PNA and the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Ismail Khania , a representative of the Hamas movement.
Escalation of Conflict
In May – June 2006, Hamas formed new police units and tried to remove from power the police, reporting to Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah supporters [5] [6] , and then refused to leave the civil service.
On October 20, 2006 , an assassination attempt against the PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh ( Hamas ) by Fatah activists was committed in the Gaza Strip . The motorcade was shot at by fighters from small arms [7] .
Clashes in the Gaza Strip
Background
In February 2007, an agreement was reached between the leaders of Fatah and Hamas and a coalition government was created. Once again, the international community has demanded that the new PNA government recognize Israel, disarm militants and stop the violence. Tripartite negotiations between the USA, the PNA and Israel ended to no avail [8] .
Gaza Stripes
On June 13, 2007, Hamas militants blew up the Fatah headquarters in Khan Yunus in the north of Gaza. The explosion killed 13 people [9] . Then, the repeater of the Voice of Palestine radio station associated with the Fatah movement was destroyed [10] .
In June, Hamas militarily seized power in the Gaza Strip, announcing its intention to create an Islamic state there. In response, on June 14, the leader of the PNA and leader Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, announced the dissolution of the government, introduced a state of emergency on the territory of the autonomy, and took full control of power. As a result of the outbreak of a bloody civil war for power, Hamas retained its position only in the Gaza Strip, while on the West Bank , supporters of Mahmoud Abbas retained power. M. Abbas created a new government in the West Bank and called the Hamas militants "terrorists." Thus, the PNA split into two hostile formations: Hamas ( Gaza Strip ) and Fatah (West Bank) [8] [11] .
Government
On June 14, 2007, President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas announced the dissolution of the Government of National Unity and the imposition of a state of emergency . Chania was removed from the post of prime minister. A Hamas member, Sami Abu Zuhri, declared the decision “practically worthless,” saying that Chania would continue to lead the government despite a presidential decree.
Hamas repression against Fatah activists and supporters
Fatah spokesman Fahmi al-Zahir claimed that Hamas killed 16 and wounded more than 80 Fatah activists during the Israeli operation Cast Lead , using the fighting to settle accounts [12] .
Representatives of the human rights organization Amnesty International confirmed these allegations against Hamas and stated that they have evidence of Hamas involvement in the killing of twenty people from December 27, 2008 to February 10, 2009 [13] .
The leadership of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip has published a detailed report that contains information about the massacres of political opponents by Hamas and lists the names of 120 political prisoners and those arrested on political grounds. The names of 210 Fatah activists arrested at different times are given. Many of them languish behind bars for several months, others fell ill in prison and urgently need medical attention.
Another 1013 supporters of the Abu Mazen movement were given subpoenas demanding to appear for interrogation at Hamas intelligence headquarters [14] .
Armistice with Fatah
First
On May 3, 2011, an agreement on inter-Palestinian reconciliation was signed in Cairo , which was attended by Fatah and Hamas functionaries and representatives of 11 more political movements and PNA groups [15] . Later, the reconciliation agreement was stopped due to disagreements on the formation of the PNA cabinet, as well as on the release of prisoners.
Second
On April 23, 2014, the head of the government of the Gaza Strip , one of the leaders of the Hamas movement , Ismail Haniya, announced the end of a seven-year conflict with the Fatah movement [16] . The parties said that within five weeks an interim government of national unity will be formed [17] , and within six months after the new government receives approval from the parliament, general elections will be held [18] ; according to other sources, within six months, the chairman of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, must issue a decree on the timing of parliamentary and presidential elections [1] . The conclusion of the peace agreement was the cessation of peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine [19] . On June 2, 2014, in Ramallah, a new, joint, government of Fatah and Hamas was sworn in; Rami Hamdalla became Prime Minister [20] .
See also
- Gaza Stripes (2007)
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Conflict between Palestinian Fatah and Hamas movements
- ↑ 1 2 Religious war in Gaza . Ynet (February 3, 2007).
- ↑ 1 2 Henry Chu . Factional fighting in Gaza imperils unity government , Los Angeles Times (May 17, 2007). Archived February 1, 2010. Article reprinted at http://www.unitedjerusalem.org/index2.asp?id=917806&Date=5/18/2007
- ↑ Over 600 Palestinians killed in internal clashes since 2006 . Ynetnews.com (June 06, 2007). Date of treatment April 24, 2011.
- ↑ http://news.strana.co.il/text/4/2784 (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Fights between activists of Fatah and Hamas began in Gaza, May 19, 2006
- ↑ Abbas attacked Hamas
- ↑ 1 2 Gaza Strip: A History of Occupation of Palestinian Territory. Help , ria.ru, 12/29/2008
- ↑ Hamas blew up the Fatah headquarters along with organization militants (Inaccessible link) . Date of treatment January 13, 2009. Archived December 15, 2007.
- ↑ Hamas militants blew up the Palestinian Voice radio station (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Hamas militants gain dominance in Gaza Archived March 16, 2009. June 15, 2007
- ↑ Hamas: “Our security services fought and maintained order during the war” (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 1, 2009. Archived May 3, 2009.
- ↑ Amnesty International: Hamas used Cast Lead to crack down on opponents
- ↑ Fatah releases report detailing hundreds of arrests, torture of members
- ↑ Universal agreement on inter-Palestinian reconciliation concluded in Cairo | In the world | RIA Novosti news feed
- ↑ ITAR-TASS: International Panorama - Fatah and Hamas Agree to Create a Government of National Unity
- ↑ Fatah and Hamas Sign Peace Agreement
- ↑ BBC Russian - Fatah and Hamas decide to make peace
- ↑ Israel canceled negotiations with Palestine after reconciliation of Fatah and Hamas | RIA News
- ↑ New Palestinian Government sworn in Ramallah