Mada al-Carmel, the Arab Center for Applied Social Research in Haifa, a unique research center that is attempting to create the first intellectual institution run by and for Palestinians inside Israel and give ’48 Palestinian academics a platform and home outside Israeli universities, has just released the first issue of its online magazine, Jadal (meaning “debate” in Arabic). I highly recommend downloading a copy and showing to your friends, media contacts and everyone else who is ignorant that the Palestinians in Israel are trying to build an intellectual base for themselves within the belly of the beast. The current issue has articles about the period of Military Rule (1948-66), Arab municipal authorities, the role of Palestinian NGOs in the ’48 community, and more.
You can also download the magazine in Arabic and Hebrew.
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within the belly of the beast
Interesting how “the beast” allows such political expression. All in all, this is just another piece of propaganda, an area the Palestinians have never been lacking.
If you’re interested in something actually relevant, there appears to be a growing fracture between the Gazan and Syrian factions of Hamas.
Since Israel’s Gaza offensive, tensions between the Damascus-based leadership and the Gaza-based Hamas leadership have intensified. Gaza-based Hamas leaders are still bitter about the way Meshaal, in close coordination with Iran, dragged out the conflict by refusing to agree to a truce while rival leaders in Gaza continued to get pounded. The Gaza-based Hamas leadership is dependent on Meshaal and his colleagues for collecting and administering funds to the Gaza headquarters, but has become increasingly resentful of the relative freedom of action and expression that the exiled leadership has exercised in taking a more belligerent stance against Israel without suffering the consequences.
Meanwhile, Meshaal has lost faith in the Gaza leadership and has ambitions to assume the leadership of a broader Palestinian Islamist movement that would encompass both Gaza and the West Bank. With likely prodding from Tehran, Meshaal has now tied his political future to the Iranians and is reportedly looking for ways to discredit the Gaza-based leadership. Iran has expressed an interest in boosting Meshaal’s stature and is making moves to ensure that he remains a key player in Hamas.
Posted by Anonymous | February 11, 2009, 1:25 amI have heard about that. I am not 100% sure of it though. Hamas delegates from damascas(who work with Messhal) still go to Cairo…Al Zahar yesterday went to damascas as well to discuss the latest developments with the hamas delegates there. so the Hamas relations(gaza-damascas) is by no means dead.
I can say there might be differences. I honestly believe some arab media are harping on this and are already taking sides.
Al zahar=good(because he goes to cairo)
Messhal=bad (because he goes to Iran and resides in Syria). as if its his own fault that he is exiled.
it doesn’t mention the fact that Iran also has good relationships with the leadership in Gaza and not only Messhal. Iran was in contact with ismail haniyeh during and after the war.
tbh,I am really 50-50 on this. mainly because the media is willing to exploit it to their own means.
Besides, Messhal’s power comes from Hamas’s power in Palestine(westbank/Gaza) and NOT the other way around. if Hamas was weakened in the palestinian territories. Khaled Messhal will turn into a “useless” silloulette IMO.
All i can say, is that for Messhal to start his own islamist group and be away from Hamas IS political suicide, especially when Hamas is regaining its legitimate foothold right now during the indirect negotiations with israel and Fatah in Cairo.
I really find it unlikely that he will do that. neither the palestinian islamists will welcome him nor hamas nor the media and not anyone.
Who knows really?
thats why I am skeptical to all of this.
Posted by yasse | February 11, 2009, 11:01 amI agree with you Yasser that certain interests may wish to exaggerate the tensions within Hamas.
For the Arab states who see Hamas going in Iran’s direction, splintering the group in order to foil Iranian plans serves a purpose.
For the Iranians, creating division within Hamas is also a way of controlling the group, by making it less internally stable and more reliant on Iranian mediation to maintain cohesion.
Iran pursued a similar strategy of divide and conquer within some Shiite groups in Iraq. Like in Iraq, this strategy could also backfire if the Hamas split becomes more ingrained and Tehran loses the ability to mediate and manipulate the two sides.
Posted by Anonymous | February 11, 2009, 12:37 pmexactly, which is why I am not buying it.
really Khaled meshaal is the head of the political buraeu of Hamas, a palestinian resistance group that made great strides during the war on Gaza, fought and was diplomatically active all the way through and after, is now negotiating the release of israeli prisoner for more than 1400 palestinian prisoners and is negotiating Fatah for a unity goverment.
So why throw all that out for something that seems doomed to failure on the spot?
Khaled Meshaal popularity comes from the fact that he is an important Hamas member, if he seizes to be one, so will his popularity.
so yeah its political suicide at best. thats why I doubt it.
Posted by yasse | February 11, 2009, 2:27 pmthanks for posting this sunbula!
Posted by Dina | February 11, 2009, 11:59 pmSounds like an interesting magazine!
Can we give a bit of appreciation for the fact that Israel allows things like this to be published?
How would this magazine fare in Gaza, if it were critical of Hamas?
How would this magazine fare in the West Bank, if it were critical of Abbas?
It’s almost like, structurally speaking, Israel has some pretty awesome things about it…
Posted by Joe | February 16, 2009, 5:26 pmyeah, Jews are awesome
Posted by Anonymous | February 16, 2009, 9:03 pm