The Hamas terrorist organization on Saturday named former Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, as the group's new political chief. Haniyeh succeeds Hamas' longtime leader Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Qatar, and the move comes shortly after the group unveiled a new, seemingly more pragmatic political program, which Israel swiftly dismissed as an "attempt to fool the world." Haniyeh's appointment marks the final phase of the secretive Hamas elections. To serve in his new capacity, however, Haniyeh will apparently be required to leave the coastal enclave and move to Qatar. Haniyeh was supposed to have departed for the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for his swearing-in ceremony, but was forced to remain in Gaza after Egypt closed down the Rafah border crossing until further notice. Hamas officials expressed concern that if Haniyeh continues to reside in Gaza in his new capacity, he would be targeted by Israel for assassination and therefore, in their view, it was imperative that he leave the area as soon as possible. Hamas' concern is not unfounded, as Haniyeh has already survived a number of attempts on his life. In 2003, he eluded an Israeli missile that was fired from the air at him and Hamas' leader at the time, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. During Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, he emerged unscathed after his home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike. Several months before becoming defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman threatened to have Haniyeh killed within 48 hours of being appointed minister unless Hamas returns the bodies of fallen Israeli soldiers and captive civilians. "From my perspective, simply reserve a spot in the nearest cemetery," Lieberman said at the time. A little over a month ago, Lieberman was asked by his constituents about the pledge to kill Haniyeh, to which he replied that "the trick is to be responsible." "Talk to me about Haniyeh at the end of my tenure as defense minister," he added. "We have instated a new policy against Hamas that is both responsible and decisive." In February, Hamas chose extremist military-wing commander Yahya Sinwar to replace Haniyeh as its new Gaza chief, in charge of the group's core power base. Haniyeh, 54, was born in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. He served as a top aide to Hamas' founder and spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin. In 2006, after Hamas won the legislative elections, Haniyeh was chosen by the movement to form its first government. He resigned as prime minister after Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government in 2014 -- a government that has never taken hold. For the past four years he has served as Mashaal's deputy. Haniyeh's first task will be to confront the escalating tensions between Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. In recent weeks, Abbas has threatened to exert financial pressure, including cutting wage payments and aid to Gaza, as a way of forcing Hamas to cede ground. One senior Fatah official, , wished Haniyeh "good luck" and called on him to make an effort to bridge the Palestinian divisions. But al-Ahmed also said Hamas must relinquish its control of Gaza, something Haniyeh has refused to do. Gaza-based political analyst Hani Habib said he did not foresee a big paradigm shift in internal Palestinian politics under the new leadership. Haniyeh, he expects, will be "more flexible on different aspects, maybe foremost is the reconciliation, though I don't see a near end to divisions given the wide gap between the positions of Hamas and Fatah." In Gaza, where Haniyeh still resides in his home in a refugee camp, some residents saw his election as a sign that could draw attention to the territory's woes. "If someone is from outside Gaza, he won't talk about Gaza's ordeals and worries properly," said Ahmed Okasha, a Gaza vendor. Since quitting his longtime base in Damascus in 2012, Mashaal has mostly lived in lavish suites in the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar. Mkhaimar Abusada, a professor of political science at Gaza's Al-Azhar University, said Haniyeh was a natural successor to Mashaal and represented "a continuation for the moderate line in Hamas."
