Alan Johnston's fate hinges on clan feud

These clan feuds are so barbaric, and now in Gaza they involve foreigners. "Hands off our foreigner." Unbelievable.
--Wendy in Washington

Kidnapped BBC man's fate hangs on clan feud
The arrest of two militants from Gaza's notorious Dogmosh clan, which abducted Alan Johnston 111 days ago, has put his life in greater danger

Mitchell Prothero, Gaza City
Sunday July 1, 2007

Observer

The arrest of two militants from the radical group holding BBC correspondent Alan Johnston hostage has put the journalist's life in great danger, according to sources in Gaza and within the group itself. Johnston, who was kidnapped on 12 March, today endures his 111th day in captivity. On Monday a video of him wearing what seemed to be an explosives vest was released by his captors.
Late last night, members of Jaish al-Islam were due to meet to discuss his fate after two of their members were arrested earlier by Hamas security forces hoping to pressure the group - led by Mumtaz Dogmosh - into releasing the journalist.

The revelation came even as members of the Dogmosh family - a notorious clan supplying most of the members of 'The Army of Islam' - continued desperate efforts to convince the group not to kill the 45-year-old Scot. However, moderate insiders said the radicals were in charge and out of patience with Hamas, the British government, and the BBC.

'We have tried to keep them talking and delaying, but now I fear they will not listen. We will know tonight,' said one Dogmosh member with close ties to Jaish al-Islam and who has been working to end the crisis for months.

Hamas security forces snatched two members of Jaish al-Islam on their way from dawn prayers on Tuesday and held them at the former Fatah military intelligence HQ. According to a Jaish member, one of the arrested men was given a mobile phone to call his comrades as a start of negotiations to swap them for Johnston, but instead the man told them not to bargain for their freedom.

The militant who said he took that call said: 'The brother told me to refuse all talks with Hamas and to kill Alan if Hamas kills him. This has ended any chance of negotiations.'

Hamas police commander Abu Khalid said: 'There was an operation...to arrest two members of Jaish al-Islam to put pressure on the Dogmosh family. The response to this was that Mumtaz threatened all foreigners and journalists in Gaza.

'We have been patrolling the hotels and will protect any journalist who requests it. We need to keep Alan alive, so we wait, wait, wait. There is the need for patience, but the changes in the past two weeks show us patience could be finished. It could be days.'

Jaish al-Islam is one of a number of small but effective splinter groups that has worked with Hamas in the past, most notably as a partner in last year's kidnapping of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. But over the past year, it has moved away from Hamas in a series of political, religious and family disputes.

Jaish al-Islam has demanded the release of one of three prisoners: Abu Qatada, a radical Palestinian cleric held in the UK; Sajida Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her participation in a 2005 suicide bomb hotel attack that killed scores of people; and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, linked to the late Abu Musab Zarqawi, who is also in Jordanian custody.

'Release one of these mujihadeen and Alan will be taken immediately to the Erez Crossing [into Israel]. If these demands are impossible, we are willing to discuss another settlement,' the Jaish al-Islam member told The Observer, before the arrests. 'But we have not been able to communicate without interference from our enemies in Gaza.'

Official sources involved in negotiations insist dialogue between the kidnappers and authorities goes forward and deny the claims of no direct contact.

Moderates in the Dogmosh family say that Jaish al-Islam, while always devoutly religious, has become more radicalised and closer to al-Qaeda in the past year with the arrival of veterans of wars in Chechnya and Iraq, and they fear their relative Mumtaz has fallen under the sway of al-Qaeda's brand of global jihad, rather than resisting Israeli operations and occupation. These new members have brought with them experience, both military and religious. It also explains demands for the release of Islamic militants not linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas has infuriated the group in refusing to conduct what the group considers honest negotiations. Two weeks ago, after Hamas routed Fatah in Gaza, the kidnappers offered a religious-based settlement. 'We suggested that Hamas send a group [of clerics] not linked to the politics of Hamas but only to the religion,' one Jaish member said this week.

[big snippet]

But even if a solution can be found, a Jaish al-Islam official says any violation of an agreement freeing Johnston will lead to more kidnappings and violence. 'If we free him and the promises are not kept, we will kidnap another foreigner and there will be no discussion. They will be slaughtered,' he explained.

Full text at: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330116760-119093,00.html