US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a crucial meeting on Sunday with Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, in Ramallah. This diplomatic encounter was strategically aimed at bolstering Abu Mazen's position and emphasizing his role in fostering stability not only in the Palestinian territories but also in the Gaza Strip. During the meeting, Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitment to actively work towards realizing the Palestinian people's "legitimate aspirations" for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Furthermore, he suggested that the Palestinian Authority should play a role in the leadership of the Gaza Strip following the recent conflict.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, Abu Mazen is currently facing challenges in maintaining stability within his loosely governed Palestinian territories. A group of Fatah commanders, who serve in the Palestinian security apparatus in Jenin, issued a stern ultimatum to Abu Mazen. They demanded that he declare an all-out and explicit confrontation against Israel within 24 hours; otherwise, they would announce a military revolt.
Do you rememer when #Hamas took over #Gaza in 2007?
ā Zechariah Shar'abi | ×××Ø×× | Ų²ŁŲ±ŁŲ§ (@ZechariahSharab) November 3, 2023
They slaughtered hunderds of people from the opposing Fatah faction and injured 1,000 civilians
They threw people off roofs of apartment buldings and dragged their bodies in the streets#Hamas was always ISIS#HamasisISIS pic.twitter.com/PcY5op8z5h
In a message addressed to the youth of the West Bank and the Palestinian people, this group of Fatah commanders expressed their frustration Abu Mazen's policy since the begining of the war in Gaza."We, the heroes of our people, the sons of redemption and sacrifice, have been patient witnesses to the crimes of the occupation," they declared. "We have endured in silence and helplessness while witnessing the daily suffering inflicted upon our children and women."
In a call to action, they proclaimed, "Today, we speak from the heart as the sons of this nation, the sons of the security apparatus, the sons of Fatah. We declare today that the Palestinian leadership bears a historic responsibility to announce a direct confrontation with the occupation."
The group's message specifically called upon Abu Mazen to issue a clear and unequivocal statement within the next 24 hours, declaring an open confrontation with the Israeli military by all available means. They also urged him to disavow any statements made by the Palestinian Authority during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
The UAE and Egypt have flown Mohammad Dahlan, the former head of the Fatah Preventive Security Force in Gaza, to Cairo and provided him with a generous budget to run the humanitarian aid into Gaza. It appears they are betting on him to be the strongman in Gaza when Hamas falls. pic.twitter.com/4eCm4v9xtT
ā Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) November 5, 2023
The ultimatum concluded with a stark warning: "If Brother Abu Mazen fails to provide a resolute response within the specified timeframe, declaring an unambiguous confrontation with the occupation and disavowing the Palestinian Authority's statements in front of the criminal Antony Blinken, we will no longer obey orders, and we will refuse to implement the directives of the security apparatus."
The group of Fatah commanders also hinted at their readiness to take more drastic measures and concluded their words by stating, "We, along with dozens of security personnel, will declare a rebellion against these orders at the same time tomorrow."
