MINI-WAR BETWEEN ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 06841 E.O. 12356:DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL KPAL IS KISL SUBJECT: MINI-WAR BETWEEN ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION AND HAMAS IN GAZA ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. GAZAN CONTACTS CLAIM THAT A "MINI-WAR" BETWEEN HAMAS AND THE ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION (IJO) HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS. THESE CONTACTS TOLD POLOFF THAT THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE TWO ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST GROUPS HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL CLASHES WHICH HAVE LEFT TWO HAMAS MEMBERS AND ONE IJO MEMBER DEAD. THE DISPUTE HAS ALSO RESULTED IN A "BATTLE" FOR CONTROL OF MOSQUES IN GAZA. ONE SOURCE ASSERTED THAT HAMAS ACTIVISTS HAD RECENTLY DESTROYED A LIBRARY BELONGING TO THE IJO. ¶3. ONE SOURCE OF FRICTION, ACCORDING TO OUR CONTACTS, HAS BEEN HAMAS ATTEMPTS TO ENLIST IJO SUPPORT IN ITS RECENT CLASHES WITH FATAH (REPORTEDLY OVER THE PEACE PROCESS) WHICH RESULTED IN SEVERAL KILLINGS AND CASUALTIES DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS. THE IJO APPARENTLY REJECTED THESE EFFORTS AND INSTEAD BEGAN A SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST ONE OF HAMAS' LEADERS, MAHMOUD AL-ZAHAR, ACCUSING HIM IN A WIDELY-DISTRIBUTED PAMPHLET OF BEING AN "ISRAELI COLLABORATOR." ¶4. THE TWO GROUPS ALSO REPORTEDLY DIFFER OVER THE EXTENT TO WHICH ISLAM SHOULD DIRECT THE POLITICAL AGENDA OF FUNDAMENTALIST GROUPS IN GAZA. IJO AND THE OTHER ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST GROUP IN GAZA, "AL-DAWAH" (A SUNNI GROUP UNRELATED TO THE SHIA GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR TERRORIST ACTS IN THE GULF),REPORTEDLY HAVE ATTACKED HAMAS FOR ITS WILLINGNESS TO FAVOR "POLITICAL" ACCOMMODATION OVER THE UNCOMPROMISING REJECTIONIST APPROACH OF THE MORE FUNDAMENTALIST IJO. ¶5. COMMENT: GAZAN CONTACTS TOLD US THAT HAMAS HAS SIGNALLED RENEWED INTEREST TO PARTICIPATE IN A MUNICIPAL COUNCIL IN GAZA, IF THAT ISSUE SURFACES AGAIN. ISRAELI OFFICIALS, TOO, HAVE ASSERTED THAT HAMAS IN GAZA HAS RECENTLY SHOWN A PRAGMATIC STREAK ON POLITICAL ISSUES. WHILE THESE REPORTED IJO CLAIMS ON HAMAS ORIENTATION MAY BE JUSTIFIED, HAMAS CONTINUES TO EXERCISE ITS MILITARY AND REJECTIONIST SIDES AS WELL. CLARKE