Moussa Abu Marzouk
Photo: Reuters
Egyptian journalist fanning the flames between Hamas and Fatah
Interview on Fatah-affiliated Palestinian state TV with Tawfik Okasha, who called on Israel to pound Gaza during the last war, causes uproar on social media in West Bank, Gaza after Okasha called Hamas 'brothers of Satan.'
Much has been written and said about the intra-Palestinian reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas, which are, at best, unstable. A recent example demonstrates just how far from reconciliation the two sides remain.
Despite that, Palestinian journalists criticized the decision to give Okasha airtime on state TV.
The man responsible for a new friction point between the two groups is none other but Egyptian television personality Tawfik Okasha.
Okasha, who called on Israel to pound Gaza during Operation Protective Edge and said he takes his hat off to Israel, has long since become Hamas' sworn enemy.
Tawfik Okasha rails against Hamas ( )
Several days ago Okasha was a guest on a show on the Fatah-affiliated PA state TV station where he claimed his comments on pounding Gaza were twisted by "Hamas' electronic militias" and that he meant there is a need to strike the terror cells in Gaza - and not all of its residents. He called Hamas "brothers of Satan," in a subtle hint at the organization's patron - the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
It was clear to Palestinians that the decision to interview Okasha, of all people, was not coincidental and was made shortly after Hamas did everything in its power to bring to the cancellation of a Fatah mass rally commemorating the 10th anniversary to Yasser Arafat's death.
The decision by Palestinian state television to host an enemy of Hamas caused uproar on social media in the West Bank and in Gaza, led and encouraged by Hamas. The organization called for a protest rally outside the state television's offices in Ramallah, but that initiative was unsuccessful.
Hamas' new enemy: Tawfik Okasha.
One of them wrote that Okasha shouldn't have appeared on a show called 'The State of Politics,' but rather on one called 'The State of Pot,' and wondered how Palestinian television could feature a man who was pelted with shoes by Egyptian journalists over his comments. "The Palestinian state television needs to issue an apology for its decision to host Okasha," the Palestinian journalist demanded.
Others demanded to boycott the Palestinian state TV until it issued an apology.
Called on Israel to strike Hamas
Okasha, an Egyptian TV presenter and politician, has long ago become a "red rag" to Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip. Over the past few months, Okasha was at the forefront of a media campaign in Egypt against Hamas, making unprecedented comments against the organization's leadership.
Now he's demanding to banish Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk from Egypt and as the head of the satellite political-commentary channel Faraeen, he is using his show to mercilessly disparage Hamas.
His positions only fuel the fire of the already-problematic relations between Hamas and the Egyptian administration led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who ousted Hamas' patrons, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Abu Marzouk visiting Hamas operatives in Rafah (Photo: Reuters)
After the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the three Israeli teenagers in Gush Etzion, Okasha said on a talk show that this was a provocative act on Hamas' part, meant to force Israel's hand into hurting the helpless civilians in the Gaza Strip.
During Operation Protective Edge, and unlike previous IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, Okasha called on Israel to take over the Strip and strike Hamas. He even accused the Hamas leadership of making a cynical use of the Gaza civilians during the war.
During the reign of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Okasha, 47, served as a member of parliament for the former ruling National Democratic Party, which was founded by slain president Anwar Sadat. Like many others, Okasha tried to take advantage of Mubarak's ouster and joined the National Party of Egypt, led by Anwar Sadat's nephew, Talaat Sadat. The party was unsuccessful in entering the Egyptian parliament.
Shortly after the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power in August 2012, Okasha made several controversial remarks, including warning Israelis that president-elect Mohammed Morsi posed a danger to their state. He was taken off the air and tried to return to the airwaves for several months on a different channel but failed due to technical reasons. In March 2013, his channel finally went back on air.
IDF strike in northern Gaza during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: AP)
Earlier this month, Okasha addressed the criticism against the Egyptian administration over the construction of a security zone in the Sinai Peninsula on the Gaza border, which necessitated the evacuation of residents from the area.
"Those arguing whether it's an expulsion or not an expulsion, I'll smack them across the face with a shoe," Okasha said. "This is about Egypt's security, these are our armed forces. They're our best men on earth, murdered by traitors and being beat up behind their backs," he went on, yelling, while holding his infamous shoe. He asserted that the Jihadists in Sinai came from "Hamas' curs."
He later addressed Hamas, saying, "This shoe is for Hamas, for its leaders and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. I will smack (Mahmoud) al-Zahar, (Ismail) Haniyeh, all of them, across the face with this shoe."
And if that wasn't enough, Okasha's attorney has recently filed a complaint to Egypt's Attorney General, demanding to expel Hamas official in Egypt Moussa Abu Marzouk. The reason for that is that Abu Marzouk attacked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when the latter sent Okasha a thank you letter for his support of the Palestinian people. The complaint noted that beyond the insult in Abu Marzouk's comments, they constitute an incitement to murder from an official of a group classified as a terror organization in Egypt. Okasha has even threatened to arrive at Abu Marzouk's house in Cairo.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit was filed at a lower Egyptian court calling to legally ban Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, over the deadly terrorist attack last month in Sinai, which sparked the conflict between the two sides anew. Egyptian media accused Hamas of being behind the attack that claimed the lives of over 30 Egyptian soldiers. The media also reported that Raed al Atar, Hamas' Rafah brigade commander who was killed by the IDF during Operation Protective Edge, was involved in the attack even though he has been killed before it took place. This lethal attack was what led the Egyptian administration to decide to build a buffer zone between Sinai and the Gaza Strip, as well as the desire to put an end to smuggling tunnels' operations.
