Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: Issam Rimawi/Flash90)
The
military wing of Fatah in Gaza has publicly asked Iran for funding in
order to help carry out attacks against Israel, according to Iranian Al-Alam TV. Fatah’s military branch, known as the Al-Aqsa Brigade, is an internationally recognized terror organization, closely associated with the larger Fatah movement, which controls the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.
The request for Iranian funds came as
the PA announced that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be
travelling to Iran. Palestinian Media Watch reported on Monday that
senior PLO official Abbas Zaki has said strengthening ties with Iran is
“an inevitable step if we [the Palestinians] want to confront the
Israeli occupation.”
Palestinian overtures to Iran began
earlier this month, when Abbas sent PLO Executive Committee Member
Ahmed Majdalani, a senior Palestinian official, to Tehran in order to
deliver a personal letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. According
to Majdalani, the letter contained information regarding the “Israeli
offensives against our people and its holy places.”
Majdalani travelled to Iran under the
guise of repairing the relations between the Palestinian people and the
Islamic Republic. During the meeting, both parties agreed to determine
actual steps to bring about the end of the “occupation” in “Palestine.”
Additionally, the Palestinians agreed to participate in resolving the
Syrian crisis.
Until now, the PA has been very reluctant to take sides in the Syrian conflict.
However, in light of the recent nuclear deal with Iran, the PA has
apparently opted to support Iranian-backed Syrian President Bashar
Al-Assad.
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Source: Breaking Israel
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