Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sacked the Hamas-led unity government and declared a state of emergency in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday, June 14, throwing the Palestinian territories into the unknown.
The crisis deepened as Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas, vowed that his government would continue to function as the US and Israel are backing a Fatah government in the West Bank
Our tackling today is different. We are arranging a serial of live sessions with Palestinian Voices in and outside Palestine, on how they find all changes happening around them.
I would like to welcome Mr. Yousef Al Helou, a Palestinian Journalist based in Gaza for joining us this session.
We Will start the session within five minutes from now
Rasha Mohammad
IOL Editorial Secretary
Answer
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Name
Muhammad
-
Profession
Question
Do people in Gaza expect help from outside muslims?
Answer
It goes without a say. Of course, we are part of the Muslim world and Arab nation. We want the siege imposed on us to be broken.
Name
Muhammad
-
Profession
Question
Is it true that the Israelis are oppressing the palestinians or is it otherwise as the western media shows?
Answer
The Israelis are oppressing the Palestinians since more than 50 years, while the international community is watching.
Palestinians are deprived from freedom and are being treated in a inhumane! This is the fact we lead.
Name
Vinay Singh
-
Profession
Question
With so much violence nad blood shedding,israelis and palestenians fighting and now a civil war of sorts has erupted.Whats the way out for innocent palestanians,will they be continually let down by their leadership.Do u see any leadership emerging in palestine who can unite all the palestinians and broker peace with israel?
Answer
It is sad that Palestinians have reached this point, it's a tragedy. We need responsible leadership who care for the People and their interests, there is no civil war, but its a struggle for power. I believe that the international community is responsible for not lifting the siege and for not dealing with the unity government which includes Hamas and fateh ministers.
Hamas says they used force to get rid of the bad elements in the security forces, paving the way for the good "leaderships" in Fateh to emerge.
I'm afraid to say that the president is in bad position now as he should not leave Gazans suffer. The Fateh people here are angry that their leadership has let them down.
In the main time the Islamic and Arab courtiers must exercise their role to solve this crises. We don’t want to be separate entities: one in Gaza and the other in the West bank.
The only way out of this crises that Hamas and Fateh leaderships maintain. dialogue
Name
Khalid
- United Kingdom
Profession
Counsellor
Question
Salam, please explain how and why the palestinians will benefit from the current situation and how and why the israelis will benefit from current situation.
Answer
Actually, Palestinians in the Gaza strip feel safe now after the armed wing of Hamas cleanup the elements in the security forces from the collaboratorswho work for Israel and the US.
Those elements were responsible for the security chaos and anarchy for the last 7 years. Many people have been killed, tortured, detained by those gangs just because they are supporters of Hamas.
The security forces were suppose to restore order and law but as I mentioned they are responsible for the chaos including the cooperation with the help of the Israelis to track resistance men and spying on them according to what Hamas say.
In the main time people will suffer and face new situation because they are afraid that Gaza will be separated from the west bank politically and economically.
The Israelis will be happy for proposing 3 state solution one in the West Bank and the 2nd in Gaza and 3rd is Israel.
Israel asking Hamas to be hold responsible for 1.5 million inhabitants and helping Abbas's forces in the west bank to target Hamas representatives and supporters.
Israel will realest some of the Palestinian taxes revenues and hand out the money to Abbas and try to ease the life of Palestinians in the west bank so that the people of Gaza will repel against Hamas leadership in Gaza.
Name
A.R.
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Salam Alykom Mr. Youssef,
How did palestinians see the general amnesty that Hamas gave to the Fatah captured leaders after its full control over Gaza? Do u think that a political system under Hamas will be "islamic" with principles and values carried in?
Jazakom Allah Khyran,
Answer
People view this gesture from Hamas as a good sign that their battle only with the Israeli enemy.
They used the option of force to overtake the security compounds just because the bad elements in Fateh and the security forces were exploited from the lawlessness situation and that they implementing Israeli-American agenda to under mind the unity government and to put more pressure of Hamas to leave the Palestinian authority.
People believe that Hamas aim at restructuring the security forces and end the chaos and release the kidnapped British Journalist Alan Johnston, Hamas offered the captured leaders to join the forces to build the society and live in safety after they got rid of the bad elements.
I think Hams will be flexible, they do not want to appear extremists, they will try to civilized and send a message to the world that we are not Taliban, we only want an end to the Israeli occupation.
Name
Ikhwan
- India
Profession
Freelance Journalist
Question
Peace be upon you and your coleague.
*Why the Arab Countries hate
Hamas? *
what is the real problems between Hamas and Fatah?
Answer
let me start with the second question. From my view, Hamas is Islamist, Fateh is secular, both sides have armed wings to fight the Israelis.
Hamas views Fateh led by president Mahmoud Abbas as an allied to the US and Israel, he is not working for the interests of the Palestinian people, and that he receives orders from the US administration to finish Hamas and that he abandons his people by giving up some of the Palestinian rights.
With the big victory that Hamas achieved by reaching power in January's 2006 election in the Palestinian territories, the Arab courtiers afraid that this will have influence and will give support to brotherhood movements for instance in Egypt to rise and copy the same experience to reach power.
Name
Firdousi
- Australia
Profession
Question
It breaks my heart to see the continious suffering of the people of Palestine. Can you suggest if there is anything we can do to help ease their pain and suffering?
Answer
Israel and the US are responsible for this crises and they are the ones to blame for this infighting between Hamas and Fateh, because they stand with one side and fight the other side with Palestinian hands!This is my view.
There are two solutions, the first lies on the international community including the UN, security council, the US, Arab league is obviously very weak to force Israel to comply with the UN resolutions and to end the occupations and to let Palestinians establish their independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The most successful solution to the Palestinian crises is to put more pressure on Israel to end the 40 years of occupation and comply with the UN resolutions, the Arab and Muslim countries can activate the weapon of Boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel.
What is happening is the result of US Secretary of State Rices's plan to have new middle east, they want moderates" Fateh" to defeat the "Islamists" even if it leads to civil war and they are watching!
Name
Muse Ali
- Belgium
Profession
Question
Is it true that some elements of Fatah do cooperate with the Zionists to minimize the role of Hamas?
Whom the mojority of the Palestians support? Hamas or Fatah?
Answer
Yes, it is true, it is well know for every one here in Palestine. There are proofs, Hamas has been widely supported in Gaza, while Fateh has been widely supported in the West Bank.
By the way, I'm an independent and not affiliated to any political factions and this information is not secret here amongst Palestinians.
Name
Zeinab
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Every now and then, we hear about an agreement between the Palestinian factions, then the clashes between Palestinians reappear. Why? And what is the attitude of the Palestinian people towards this internal confliction?
Answer
The internal fighting is totally rejected by most Palestinians because The only winner is Israel.
But there are bad elements "collaborators and mercenaries" in Fateh pour oil on fire to engage Hamas in struggle with Fateh so that Palestinians forget about their real goals.
There are gangs, clans who involved in this fighting as well. in the same time, Hamas has huge support for the people because they did not abandon their people.
Hamas won the parliament election in 2006 because Fateh was corrupted, Fateh is divided now, Hamas is one body, this is the reality here, you can take it for a Palestinian.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
With a hope for a near solution of this ongoing crisis, We end the session with Mr.Yousef Al Helou.
We would like to thank Mr. Yousef for taking the time to answer the questions of IslamOnline viewers, and all those who participated in this live dialogue.
we apologize for not being able to answer all the questions we received due to time limitations.
