The dispute between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and Hamas in Gaza reveals many hidden aspects about the two movements and their alliances. It has illustrated the extent to which they exploit the Palestinian cause and religion, and the pressure of political finance on their decisions. The Islamic Jihad movement, which is facing financial deficit, resorted to using the weapon of religion against Hamas, which in return responded with the very same weapon. All of this is happening to consolidate the internal positions in Gaza in front of the supporters of these movements. …
According to the report published in Asharq Al-Awsat recently Islamic Jihad is accusing Hamas of detaining its members, attempting to take over its mosques and monopolizing Sunni and Shia financial support, which would explain the financial crisis that Islamic Jihad is currently experiencing. … The list of accusations made by Hamas against Islamic Jihad includes the charge of promoting the Shia doctrine in Palestinian territories. … It is odd that Hamas, internally of course, is attacking Islamic Jihad for its ties to Iran and Hezbollah whilst Hamas itself receives financial support from Iran. …
The dispute over finance is understandable, in fact it was expected, especially considering Iran’s internal situation at present. However, this dispute has revealed the extent to which both parties exploit religion politically within the Palestinian territories, especially when it comes to the issue of negotiations with the U.S. and Israel. Access the full article>>
