Egypt's efforts to defuse the worsening Palestinian-Israeli crisis have ground to a halt because of Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal's refusal to press for the unconditional release of an Israeli soldier and growing mistrust between Egypt and Hamas, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said.
Mashaal, the Syria-based Hamas leader, is now turning his attention to mediation by the Islamic-oriented government of Turkey, which has stepped up diplomacy in an effort to end the standoff, the Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.
Israel has accused Mashaal of being the mastermind behind the capture late last month of the Israeli soldier, something he denies.
PHOTO: AFP
Late Wednesday, Mashaal's top aide denied rumors that the Hamas leader had left Syria. Some Palestinian and Israeli media had said Mashaal left for Algeria after a confrontation with Syrian authorities over how to negotiate the Israeli soldier's release.
"There is no one from the [Hamas] political bureau or its chief [Mashaal] in Algeria. Not any one of them has left for Algeria," said top Hamas adviser Moussa Abu Marzouk on the pan-Arab al-Arabiya TV channel.
The reports on Mashaal's alleged departure came after days of silence from the Hamas office in Damascus, which did not answer phone calls on Wednesday.
Abu Marzouk denied any dispute with Syrian authorities regarding the Israeli soldier.
"He is not an abducted soldier but a prisoner captured on the battlefield," he added.
An Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue said Mashaal has disagreed with the Egyptians about what "tactics" they should apply in negotiations with Israel.
Mashaal has repeatedly turned down an invitation by Egypt's intelligence director and chief negotiator, Omar Suleiman, to come to Cairo for thorough discussions of the standoff, said one.
The Egyptian side thinks time is short and Hamas should release the soldier and negotiate later to avoid a severe Israeli retaliation, but the Hamas leader has pressed for Israel to first give in to at least some Hamas demands, the Egyptian official said.
On Wednesday, Jordan's King Abdullah II also warned Palestinians against an escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip. In a telephone call to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Abdullah expressed deep concern about the possible repercussions on civilians in Gaza, the official Jordanian news agency reported.
Hamas leaders close to Mashaal have said repeatedly that while Mashaal has no direct role in the crisis, they believe that Israel must agree to concessions to win the soldier's release.
Mohammed Beseiony, Egypt's former ambassador to Israel, acknowledged that the Egyptian-Hamas contacts on the soldier have come to a halt, although he said that was because of the abductors' decision.
"We are doing our best to resolve this conflict, because without a peaceful resolution, the whole region will be in a catastrophe," he said. "But, I may say, the issue is very difficult."
Egypt long has played a key role as a mediator between the Palestinian Authority and militant groups. Last year it helped persuade the Palestinian factions to sign a truce declaration, virtually promising to halt their attacks against Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamas seems to have shifted its interests to mediation by the Islamic-oriented government in Turkey.
On Monday, Mashaal met in Damascus with Ahmet Davudoglu, the adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In Damascus, a Palestinian official said that Mashaal told Davudoglu that Hamas was ready to be flexible.
"Hamas' main concern is the interest of the Palestinian people, but Israel should be ready to negotiate too," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul -- with Davudoglu with him -- arrived in Washington on Wednesday for talks on the crisis with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Turkish papers said Davudoglu also met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad, and told him that his influence on the Palestinians was obvious and he should use it responsibly.
Erdogan has also spoken by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
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