Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, is denying reports by the Watan 24 news agency and the Egyptian Al-Youm Al-Sabeh newspaper that he has resigned from Hamas’ political bureau after the election of Ismail Haniyeh as the movement's leader. “It’s yellow journalism,” said Zahar in a reply sent to the Palestinian and Egyptian news operations. Zahar claimed that the allegations were Israeli propaganda aimed at undercutting Hamas’ leadership. In another published response, Zahar even claimed that Fatah was spreading false rumors about him.
However, Al-Monitor has learned that the results of the political bureau election have created a deep rift within the movement. Palestinian sources in Gaza and a security source in Israel following Hamas' leadership changes confirm that Zahar threatened to resign but changed his mind after being pressured by hawkish members of the political and military leaderships. According to the sources, they were able to convince Zahar that only from within the movement’s leadership could he act effectively to stop the process of moderation it is undergoing following Haniyeh’s election and to nullify the changes in policy announced this month by former political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal.
On May 14 at the 11th Conference to Maintain the National Principles in Gaza, Zahar gave a broad hint about the rift and his dissatisfaction with the new winds blowing in the movement. He publicly warned Haniyeh and the pragmatic branch of the movement, without mentioning them directly, that they should not adopt the shift that Meshaal had announced on the eve of his resignation from the office, according to which Hamas would recognize the 1967 borders as the future borders of the Palestinian state.
“Hamas will never put down its arms and will never give up its principles,” Zahar declared. He also delivered a sting to the Hamas elected leadership and that of the Palestinian Authority (PA): “Whoever thinks that the nations of the West or the East [i.e., the pragmatic Arab nations pressuring Hamas to reach an agreement with Israel] will take care of the interests or the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people is suffering from delusions that could lead to a new catastrophe.” According to Zahar, no one but Hamas will look out for the interests and rights of the Palestinian people.
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