In refusing entry to a Fatah official, Egypt has revealed its dispute with the PA

Egypt has refused entry to a senior Fatah official, the Secretary of the movement’s Central Committee, Jibril Al-Rajoub. In doing so, it has revealed its hitherto undeclared dispute with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

Palestinian and Egyptian sources revealed on Monday that the authorities at Cairo International Airport had refused to allow Al-Rajoub to enter the country the day before, reported Anadolu. The Fatah official is also the head of the Palestinian Football Association.

Despite the fact that Palestinian leaders have stressed repeatedly their deep relations and high level of coordination with Cairo, observers point to the tension caused by Egypt’s support for disgraced Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan. They also attribute the difficulties to the issue of obtaining UN Security Council Resolution 2334 against Israeli settlements.

According to analysts who spoke to Anadolu, the dispute began because of Egypt’s support for Dahlan, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s political rival. The tension grew when Abbas refused to postpone Fatah’s seventh conference, which went on to dismiss Dahlan and his supporters from the movement. It climaxed when Egypt pulled a draft resolution proposed late last year to the UN Security Council regarding settlements, following Israeli pressure through the then US President-elect Donald Trump. This pushed New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Senegal to propose an alternative draft, at the insistence of Abbas, which put Egypt in a very awkward position and revealed the difference between Ramallah and Cairo.

Read: Egypt refuses entry to top Fatah leader

The possibility of condemning Israel in the Security Council was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for Abbas, say the analysts. He knew that outgoing US President Barack Obama wanted to get back on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a Trump supporter — and so wouldn’t veto the resolution. Abbas insisted that the draft resolution should be put to the vote, even though Cairo asked for it to be delayed for further discussions; the PA and Fatah leader knew that he risked Cairo’s anger if the resolution was passed.

The Professor of Political Science at Hebron University, Belal Shobaki, attributed Al-Rajoub’s denial of entry into Egypt to the historical “rivalry” between him and Dahlan, who is backed by the government in Cairo. “It seems that Egypt believes that Al-Rajoub is one of the figures who are preventing its efforts to restore Dahlan to the Palestinian political scene or form an entity parallel to Fatah,” he explained. However, he believes that it is unlikely that the decision will have a negative impact on relations between Cairo and Ramallah due to their geography and strategic relations.

“The Palestinian leadership is not interested in discussing the matter publically and any loss for President Mahmoud Abbas on a regional level will weaken him,” said Shobaki. “We will hear the usual diplomatic discourse from the Palestinian leaders — that the relationship with Egypt is a red line, for example — and then we will say no more on the matter.” Having a close relationship with Egypt is not optional for the Palestinians, he added. “Geography will always remain the strongest factor.”

Furthermore, explained Shobaki, Egypt plays a security role in the area. “Indeed, according to the Israeli media, it has expressed its willingness to be a part of the regional solution to the Palestinian cause. The loss of Egypt [as a friend] will mean a loss of important issues.” He pointed out that the Palestinian leadership will ask regional parties to intervene in order to resolve any disputes in the relationship with Cairo.

Read: Abbas criticises Egypt’s decision to host Dahlan conference

Sulaiman Besharat agrees that Egypt views Al-Rajoub as a Fatah figure who stood in the way of its attempts to return Dahlan to the movement’s ranks. The researcher at the Centre for Modern Studies said that there are determining factors in Egypt’s relationship with the PA, mainly Cairo’s role in the peace process. This requires Egypt to keep the relationship alive, regardless of how tense relations with the PA become.

Egypt’s refusal to allow Al-Rajoub to enter at Cairo Airport sends a message that it rejects certain positions adopted by the PA, whether it is in relation to the Arab Quartet and its attempts to end the internal Fatah disputes or positions linked to other issues. “Refusing Al-Rajoub entry carries political messages more than it targets him as an individual,” suggested Besharat. “The first of these is that Egypt’s doors may be closed to PA officials in the event that they do not respond with the vision expressed by Cairo on a number of issues, including the Arab Quartet and even the developments of the peace process in the region and the role played by Egypt.”

The second message, he believes, is an attempt to put pressure on the PA to change its discourse about interference in its internal affairs or reconciliation between Dahlan and Abbas. “Egypt and the PA are each trying to retain the minimum level of relations without revealing the presence of any difference in positions,” said Besharat. “This will most likely push the PA to show flexibility towards some issues proposed by Egypt regarding the major Palestinian issues, including the peace process, reconciliation or internal Fatah relations.”

For Ahmad Rafiq Awad, the tension in the PA’s relations with Egypt will have a negative effect on the political process and Palestinian reconciliation. The Professor of Media at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem added that the Egyptian position on the Palestinian issue is fixed and has not changed, despite the political changes in recent years. “The PA,” he added, “views Egypt as a rock upon which it can rely.”

Read: Toxic gas kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza-Egypt tunnel

He expects there to be an Egyptian clarification of the refusal to allow Al-Rajoub to enter the country, which he believes was a personal issue and nothing directed at Fatah or the PA. Egypt, said Awad, is opening channels of communication with all Palestinian parties, including Muhammad Dahlan and Hamas, in order to make it easier for the government in Cairo to work on converging the various Palestinian points of view.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.