The deputy head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, left Gaza ten days ago via the Rafah border crossing, supposedly on his way to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca that is required of all believing Muslims. The departure — an unusual one, it must be said — of Haniyeh, his wife, and two of their sons from Gaza gave rise to a wave of rumors there that Haniyeh (also known as Abu el-Abad) had actually left for good. The reason for this rumor was another rumor: that Hamas’s leadership intended to appoint Haniyeh as the head of its political wing, an act that would necessitate his taking up residence in Qatar.

The rumors were likely wrong, and certainly premature. While Haniyeh, 53, is considered one of the two top candidates for the position of Hamas head honcho, it will be at least a few months, and maybe a whole lot longer, before anybody knows who will take up the post. Ahmed Yousef, one of Haniyeh’s close associates and his former political adviser, said a few days ago that elections for the head of the political wing would be held in March or April 2017. We shall see.

Already, though, campaigning is under way, Hamas-style. From Saudi Arabia, Haniyeh was headed to Qatar, Iran, and Turkey, for a series of election-related meetings. Election talk is rife at the grassroots level, in mosques and local branches. Hamas’s internal leadership elections, and the specific question of who will head its political wing, are emphatically high in the minds of Hamas’s key figures and activists in the territories, in prisons, and abroad.

Read the full article at Times of Israel.