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Abbas to Resolve Outstanding Issues in Gaza Strip before Elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a Fatah Central Committee meeting. (Wafa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a Fatah Central Committee meeting. (Wafa)
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Abbas to Resolve Outstanding Issues in Gaza Strip before Elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a Fatah Central Committee meeting. (Wafa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a Fatah Central Committee meeting. (Wafa)

The Palestinian Fatah movement has decided to resolve all outstanding issues in the Gaza Strip before the general elections in May.

Movement officials affirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas has formed a committee in this regard and ordered Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh to resolve matters as soon as possible.

Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad, who is also member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Committee, said the president issued clear instructions to resolve all issues within days, mainly those on financial retirement and salary cuts.

Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq al-Tirawi noted that employee problems in the Strip would be resolved on several phases.

The committee formed by Abbas will find solutions to the problems and then present them to the Central Committee, he added.

These statements were welcomed in the Strip, where public sector employees have been suffering from salary cuts and many were referred to early retirement.

Abbas’s move came in line with his movement’s preparations to run for the legislative elections, scheduled for May 22, and aims to attract more votes.

These decisions were taken during a central committee meeting on Sunday that was chaired by Abbas.

Participants discussed the elections, including alliances, and whether forming a national list with other factions, including Gaza’s rulers Hamas, was possible.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Fatah’s decision to form a list under the PLO umbrella indicated that every faction is welcome to join.

This would complicate the possibility of forming a joint list between Fatah and Hamas, which rejects the PLO’s commitments.

Sources said a PLO list will most probably be formed, without Hamas, but he stressed that all options are possible.

Fatah deputy chief Mahmoud al-Aloul said on Monday that this issue has not yet been decided.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.