The military operation started March 26 against the Houthis in Yemen was expected to make waves in the Arab region, whether those affected support it, oppose it or have reservations.

However, no one expected Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ call at the Arab Summit on March 28 for an operation similar to Operation Decisive Storm in Palestine. He asked Arab leaders to solve the Palestinian division the same way as in Yemen. Abbas also accused Hamas of obstructing the reconstruction process, as, according to him, it is impeding the reconciliation government’s role and political legitimacy in the Gaza Strip.

Mahmoud al-Habash, Abbas’ adviser on religious affairs, demanded March 27 that any party without legitimacy — such as the targeted group in Yemen — anywhere be struck with an iron fist, describing the Hamas takeover of Gaza as a coup against the PA.

Palestinians condemned these statements as they recall the bloody events in Gaza in mid-2007 between Fatah and Hamas, during which hundreds were killed and wounded, following the victory of Hamas during the January 2006 legislative elections. The Fatah movement had rejected the results and tried to maintain its control over the Gaza Strip, leading to armed clashes that ended in June 2007 with Hamas’ takeover of Gaza, its expulsion of the PA and the political division that remains until this day.