Fatah Accuses Qatar’s Ambassador of Insulting Palestinian Leadership

Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi (C) leaves a press conference at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on February 19, 2018. Hospital workers tried to approach Al-Emadi as he left, but were pushed back by Hamas policemen. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi (C) leaves a press conference at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on February 19, 2018. Hospital workers tried to approach Al-Emadi as he left, but were pushed back by Hamas policemen. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
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Fatah Accuses Qatar’s Ambassador of Insulting Palestinian Leadership

Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi (C) leaves a press conference at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on February 19, 2018. Hospital workers tried to approach Al-Emadi as he left, but were pushed back by Hamas policemen. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi (C) leaves a press conference at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on February 19, 2018. Hospital workers tried to approach Al-Emadi as he left, but were pushed back by Hamas policemen. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)

The Fatah Movement accused on Sunday Qatar’s ambassador to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi of overpassing his humanitarian role in the Gaza Strip by contributing to enhance division and to insult Palestinian leaderships, including President Mahmoud Abbas.

Munir al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's Information Department in the Office of Mobilization and Organization, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that ambassador al-Emadi is the last person entitled to offer advices in the issue of division.

“We don’t take orders or instructions from him or anyone else. We are clearly aware of our role and we are keen on ending the division and returning Gaza to the hands of the Palestinian legitimacy. We will prevent any force to remove it from the limits of our responsibilities,” al-Jaghoub said.

In a meeting held recently with reports in the Gaza Strip, al-Emadi said he told Palestinian President that if he wants to gain a lot of popularity, he should be the president of all Palestinians, by leaving politics behind.

Al-Emadi had also lashed out at the Palestinian Authority and Egypt, saying both sides and Israel are to blame for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The Qatari ambassador currently resides at Al Matshal hotel in Gaza, where he had booked an entire suite to manage the works of his mission.

His presence pushed a visiting Egyptian security delegation to refuse to stay at the same hotel. Instead, the delegation is staying at a hotel facing Al Matshal.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Fatah said that “the Qatari envoy’s latest comments voice an “incomprehensible and offensive” stance towards the Palestinian Authority.

The Fatah statement also called on al-Emadi to withdraw his comments, which tone with campaigns that aim to strengthen divide and sow divisions among the Palestinians.
“Gaza is a pillar of the Palestinian cause and there is a national responsibility towards it,” the statement added.



Iran to Support Hezbollah Militarily if Israel Launches War on Lebanon

An Israeli firefighter works to extinguish fires ignited by missiles launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon (Reuters)
An Israeli firefighter works to extinguish fires ignited by missiles launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon (Reuters)
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Iran to Support Hezbollah Militarily if Israel Launches War on Lebanon

An Israeli firefighter works to extinguish fires ignited by missiles launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon (Reuters)
An Israeli firefighter works to extinguish fires ignited by missiles launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon (Reuters)

Iran announced its readiness to support Hezbollah militarily in the event that Israel launches a large-scale war on Lebanon.

An advisor to the Iranian leader, Kamal Kharrazi, said that his country “will do its best to support [Hezbollah] if Israel launched a large-scale war against Lebanon,” the official Lebanese National News Agency reported.

In response to a question on whether Iran would support the party militarily in case of a large-scale conflict erupting in Lebanon, Kharrazi, who also serves as head of the Iranian Strategic Council for International Relations, indicated that “in such a case, Tehran will not have any other option.”

He continued: “We will have no choice but to support [Hezbollah] with all the means and capabilities available to us.”

The Iranian position comes in conjunction with Israeli threats to expand the war, and the Israeli army’s preparations in the north for a wide-scale confrontation in Lebanon.

“We are determined to continue fighting until the war goals of destroying the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, the return of the kidnappers, and the safe return of residents in the north and south to their homes are achieved,” the Israeli army said, adding: “We are strengthening preparations for war on the northern front against Hezbollah.”

However, these statements come in parallel with other leaks that suggest that the army was not ready for a large-scale war. An article published by the New York Times said that Israeli generals believe that their forces, which are “underequipped for further fighting after Israel’s longest war in decades... need time to recuperate in case a land war breaks out against Hezbollah.”

“A truce with Hamas could also make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah, according to the officials, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters,” the NY Times article read.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that a house in Kiryat Shmona was hit by projectiles fired from Lebanon, while Israeli attacks in South Lebanon killed a farmer who had remained in his town despite the onslaught.

The NNA said that an Israeli drone attacked the town of Taybeh in South Lebanon with three missiles, with one of them hitting an electricity transformer.