On Tuesday, Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh called for “full integration” between Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Interestingly, this call came just a few days after Hamas attacked a group of Shiite worshippers in Gaza. In his report on the incident, Avi Issacharoff noted that “becoming Shi’ite is a growing trend in the Gaza Strip: Hundreds of Sunnis, both Islamic Jihad activists and ordinary people, are known to have converted.”
Now Palestine Press, aligned closer to Fatah, has reported on a video posted to YouTube in late November. In the video, reproduced below, two men claiming to be part of Islamic Jihad are seen burning a photo of Hamas’ founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. According to the men, the video is a response to Hamas members burning photos of Islamic Jihad’s founder Fathi Shakaki.
According to Palestine Press, internet users have slammed the video saying it was created by Israel in an attempt to divide Palestinians. The report also notes that Islamic Jihad has not commented on the video, thus raising questions as to its credibility.
I do not know if the video is fake or real. In any case, this will certainly be an interesting item to watch over the coming days.
