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Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election

Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)
Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)
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Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election

Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)
Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)

Two sources in the Palestinian group Hamas said on Wednesday that the movement has resumed the process of electing a new head of its political bureau, pending the full selection of its members.

The move restores momentum to the leadership race after it stalled at least twice in January and February.

A source inside Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that “conditions that had been hindering the elections have been resolved,” opening the way for the process to restart.

He said some of those conditions were linked to internal organizational disputes in the enclave, adding that once settled, the decision was made to resume the process, alongside external political and security factors and ongoing negotiations.

Hamas faces its most severe crisis since its founding in 1987, after Israeli strikes launched in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack hit multiple wings and levels of the group, triggering organizational and financial strains.

Estimates suggest Khaled Meshaal, head of the political bureau abroad, and Khalil al-Hayya, head of the political bureau in Gaza, are the leading contenders.

Observers and figures inside and outside Hamas say al-Hayya is backed by members in Gaza and the Qassam Brigades, while Meshaal has stronger support in the West Bank and abroad.

A source outside Gaza said the vote will take place across all accessible arenas, inside Gaza, the West Bank and abroad, depending on conditions, with a decision expected soon.

For about a year and a half, a leadership council has been managing Hamas affairs.

At the start of this year, a new push began to elect a leader for the remainder of the current political bureau’s term, originally due to end in 2025 and extended by one year, pending broader elections expected at the end of this year or early next year.

An attempt to hold the vote in mid-February was disrupted by the US-Israeli war on Iran, sources said at the time.

The vote will be limited to selecting a new political bureau chief to lead Hamas inside and outside the territories. Full elections for the bureau are not expected before the end of this year or early 2027.

The current leadership council, which includes Hamas leaders in Gaza, the West Bank and abroad, along with the movement’s secretary-general, and is headed by Shura Council chief Mohammed Darwish, will become an advisory body overseeing the group’s internal and external affairs.

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Arab World

Sweida Activist Speaks of Preparations to Drag Governorate into Confrontation with Syrian Security

Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
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Sweida Activist Speaks of Preparations to Drag Governorate into Confrontation with Syrian Security

Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)

An activist leader in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida governorate has warned of ongoing attempts by the so-called "National Guard" to "drag the governorate into a new, wide-scale confrontation" with the government's Internal Security Forces, "under the direction of an Israeli politician who is a former Knesset member, and Syrian Druze politicians residing abroad."
An informed source inside Sweida city did not rule out the claim, noting that "these actors are pushing for this in an attempt to thwart the formation of an Israeli government led by Gadi Eisenkot."
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the activist, who opposes the policies of Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hijri and his "National Guard," said: "Currently, there are those trying to sow discord anew and create unrest with the villages where the (government) Internal Security Forces are deployed."
"After every period of calm and the emergence of a possibility to initiate dialogue, someone seeks to escalate the situation again," he said.
A cautious calm has held along the governorate's frontlines for roughly three weeks between Internal Security Forces and the "National Guard." Al-Hijri has also refrained from making any statements that might stoke tensions.
The source said the plot to reignite tensions in the governorate also involves "striking the sites where the (National Guard) holds detainees, in order to cover up for prisoners who were handed over in exchange for sums of money."
He believed the plan to rekindle tensions in the governorate serves multiple purposes, including "undermining the positive role Jordan is playing toward the new Syria and efforts to resolve the Sweida crisis," as well as causing "a certain embarrassment" to Israeli Prime Minister-designate Eisenkot.
The "National Guard," which controls wide swaths of the governorate, including Sweida city, "possesses the capabilities to reignite tensions" with the Internal Security Forces, "especially as it works relentlessly to fuel resentment among residents against the government," he added.
He warned: "Once the battle begins, every civilian will be forced to carry arms," stressing the need to "deprive them of the opportunity to widen the rift and ease tensions until we reach a national solution."
A source residing in Sweida city told Asharq Al-Awsat: "Instruments of the (Likud) party are pushing to drag the governorate into a confrontation with Syrian security, in order to find a pretext for Israel to intervene against the Syrian state under the guise of protecting the Druze."
Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour had previously extended several invitations to residents for dialogue to resolve the governorate's crisis, which has persisted since the July 2025 unrest. His calls went unanswered.
Several sources in Sweida said this is due to "the policy of repression and treason accusations prevailing in the areas under the influence of al-Hijri and the National Guard, who reject dialogue with the government, demand the right to self-determination, and sought - with the support of outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - to separate the governorate from Syria and establish what is called the (State of Bashan)" there.

Arab World

Talabani Deepens Dispute with Barzani as Settlement Appears out of Reach

Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
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Talabani Deepens Dispute with Barzani as Settlement Appears out of Reach

Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani deepened his criticism of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), two days after KDP President Masoud Barzani called on Kurdish forces to engage in dialogue to resolve disputes between the two main parties, amid growing signs of political and administrative division between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Speaking at the Sulaymaniyah Strategic Forum on Thursday, Talabani described the KDP’s actions in the Kurdistan Region parliament as a "political collapse in the history of Kurdistan," saying that shuttering the parliament prompted the PUK to no longer recognize the current legislature.

He added that the region is experiencing the reality of two governments and two administrations, accusing a minority within the KDP of rejecting any settlement that fails to meet its demands - even going so far as to block a meeting solely intended for a photo opportunity.

For his part, PUK senior official Mahmoud Khoshnaw told Asharq Al-Awsat that tensions between the two main parties "have begun to intensify day by day."

He added that hopes pinned on restoring ties following the regional parliament's November 4 session have dissipated, pushing both sides gradually toward a rift.

Khoshnaw said that Talabani’s positions, voiced on multiple occasions, are "conditional" and reflect, in his words, a commitment to safeguarding the region's entity, its constitutional rights, and the gains of the Kurdish experience.

He stressed that the current parliamentary makeup does not represent the entirety of Kurdish forces, but rather reflects the KDP's presence at a time when major Kurdish factions remain outside the legislature.

Nevertheless, he said the path to a settlement "is still not completely closed."

Criticism of US role

Among the issues raised by Talabani was his criticism of US envoy Tom Barrack's “intervention” in Kurdish disputes, stating that he disagrees with him and that the Kurdistan Region requires a fundamental resolution to its problems.

Talabani called on the US administration to understand the nature of the situation in the region, or to step back and leave the political forces in Kurdistan and Iraq to resolve their differences on their own.

He also rejected accusations that he is "under Iranian control," stating, "I am not in anyone's pocket, and I never will be," while adding that he is well-received whenever he visits the US.

Talabani praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, describing him as a young man with a businessman's mindset who is seeking to correct Iraq's course.

Settlement still possible

Political science professor at Mustansiriyah University Essam al-Faili told Asharq Al-Awsat that the crisis remains manageable, pointing out that Talabani favored a peaceful resolution while Barzani called for dialogue between the two sides.

He noted that Baghdad does not want the fragmentation of the region's administration.

The US is also engaged in the crisis, he remarked, saying that these factors keep the prospects for a settlement alive despite the sharp rhetoric between the two sides.

He explained that a core aspect of the dispute revolves around the distribution of sovereign posts within the region's institutions and presidencies, noting that both parties hold leverage over this file, which makes it amenable to a compromise between them.

On talk of the possibility of forming a separate Kurdish region comprising the Sulaymaniyah and Halabja governorates, constitutional and legal expert Dr. Saif al-Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that such a scenario is constitutionally unfeasible.

Journalist Montadhar Nasser told Asharq Al-Awsat that the internal dispute is deeply entrenched in the Kurdish political landscape, exposing a failure of institutional governance in the region as decades of efforts to unify the two administrations have fallen short.

He added that talk of establishing two separate regions may be premature, although he argued that such an outcome would better reflect reality on the ground and could resolve the ongoing debate over the nature of relations between the two parties.

Nasser suggested that this scenario could prove advantageous for Baghdad, as it would allow the federal government to deal with two regions separately, while giving both parties greater leeway to forge alliances with other political forces in the capital without being bound by conditions or restrictions imposed by one upon the other.

 

Arab World

IMF Says Its Staff in Lebanon to Discuss Banking Restructuring Strategy

A man sits at the entrance of a money transfer company office in Beirut on November 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man sits at the entrance of a money transfer company office in Beirut on November 10, 2026. (AFP)
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IMF Says Its Staff in Lebanon to Discuss Banking Restructuring Strategy

A man sits at the entrance of a money transfer company office in Beirut on November 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man sits at the entrance of a money transfer company office in Beirut on November 10, 2026. (AFP)

The ‌International Monetary Fund has begun a staff mission to discuss the country's strategy for restructuring the banking sector, IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack said on Thursday, declining to say whether a preliminary agreement was imminent.

Kozack told reporters that the IMF's staff ‌mission in ‌Beirut was under way ‌as ⁠part of a ⁠close discussion with Lebanese authorities to underpin a comprehensive reform program to restore financial stability and support an economic recovery.

She said IMF staff would ⁠communicate at the end ‌of the mission ‌with any relevant updates.

Lebanese media ‌quoted Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber ‌telling reporters this week that the IMF mission would continue through Friday, adding his hope that ‌a preliminary agreement could be reached this week.

IMF Managing Director ⁠Kristalina ⁠Georgieva last month said there were "intense" discussions under way on support for Lebanon reflecting significant progress towards a loan program.

"We have made significant progress towards the program. We have still a bit more work to do together, and I'm confident we will be successful," she said at the time.