Somebody in Hamas is challenging Solana

Somebody in Hamas and perhaps EU is challenging Solana’s authority – this should get interesting

If the terrorist organization Hama’s leadership is to be believed, a European country (or somebody in it) has attempted an end run around Javier Solana’s authority. It should be very interesting to see how things are handled.

Palestinian elections are getting ready to happen. There is justified apprehension over Hamas, an outlawed terrorist party, making gains. Javier Solana has threatened to cut grants going to the Palestinian Authority should Hamas make substantial gains in the forthcoming elections. Predictably the Hamas leadership in the form of Hismail Hinaya does not like that.

But Hismail Hinaya claims he has received notice that he need not fear Javier Solana and his threats of monetary consequences. He said he was contacted by a European diplomat who said that Javier Solana’s statements could never represent all EU countries.

Now this is interesting. A year ago “the stuff hit the fan” when Javier Solana inadvertently disclosed and then made an unsuccessful retraction that he had made contact with blacklisted Hamas leaders. The contact was illegal under European and international laws governing dealings with terrorists. Hamas was clearly “on the list.” Since then Solana has largely redeemed himself in Israeli eyes by playing tough cop with Hamas and threatening to pose economic consequences to Palestinians should they elect Hamas – the same group Solana illegally met with in late 2004.

Hamas now claims that they have contact with EU member states. By treaty, Javier Solana was to solely represent the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU and he is the designate for the Foreign Minister post when the new constitution is ratified.

How this is playing out now is fascinating. I read this as either a real challenge to Solana’s authority, or just as likely, a rationale to advance his cause and promptly solidify his powers. As Austria is now taking the lead to revive the Constitution previously defeated by France and Holland, it strikes me that this could be used as a reason to hasten the process. Even more likely, nearly all commentators have said that no matter what comes, the Foreign Minister (aka Javier Solana) provisions of the proposed EU Constitution must be retained.

Hmmm, I wonder if this is the same alleged EU diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Russians that the EU competition in the form of Galileo to the USA’s GPS policy was needed because the USA had double-crossed the EU with its Pentagon ordered bombing of Yugoslavia back in 1999?

I don’t know for sure what is going down, but I sure hope Javier Solana isn’t creating his own ‘sock puppet’ opposition/ At any rate, it should be very interesting to see how this will be handled. As my good friend and fellow Solana watcher Herb Peters says, “stay tuned.”

By the way, you may read about it here:


http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1076095.php/Hamas_leader_rejects_E.U._threats_to_cut_aid