Iran and Islamic Jihad fall out over Yemen

Reliable sources in Gaza have told al-Araby al-Jadeed that relations between Iran and the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine have never been as bad as they are currently, because of the Yemeni crisis.

Islamic Jihad reportely refused to issue a statement supporting the Ansar Allah group - known as the Houthis - and condemn the Saudi-led military campaign, Operation Decisive Storm.

Sources said Iran suspended its financial aid to Islamic Jihad some time ago, causing a financial crisis in the movement, as it has not been able to pay the salaries and entitlements of its full-time members.

The current tension began with Operation Decisive Storm, which Iran expected Islamic Jihad to condemn.

The movement's leadership in Beirut has not publicly admitted any disagreement with Iran, and has said the situation of the Islamic Jihad moevement is "normal".

Islamic Jihad insists on "not being part of any axis", said Shakib al-Anna, the group's Lebanon-based official in charge of political relations.

Operation Decisive Storm

The sources in Gaza stressed the current tension began with Operation Decisive Storm, which the Iranians expected the Islamic Jihad movement to condemn. Islamic Jihad, however, remained silent, reportedly reasoning that its neutral stance towards the revolution in Syria, which Iran had accepted at the time, might be acceptable to Tehran in Yemen.

According to the sources, Iran did not accept Islamic Jihad's neutrality, and asked for a clear statement in support of the Houthis and a condemnation of Saudi Arabia and its military operations against them. The leadership of the Islamic Jihad reportedly refused.

What increased tensions from the outset, however, was the circulation by Radio Tehran of a report citing Nafidh Azzam, a member of Islamic Jihad's political wing, claiming that the movement did indeed condemn Operation Decisive Storm.

Tensions increased even further when the media office of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, closely affiliated with Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah, issued a press statement denying the remarks attributed to Azzam.

Azzam had not talked to anyone about the situation in Yemen, the statement read, and Islamic Jihad remained silent on what is happening in the Arab region. The statement cited Azzam saying Islamic Jihad was committed to non-interference in what is going on in Yemen or the wider region.

The crisis within the movement is receiving greater attention in the media than it deserves. - Shakib al-Anna

The Gaza sources expect Lebanon's Hizballah to intervene to steer relations between Islamic Jihad and Iran back on track.

It is believed the crisis is transient and will soon be solved, especially as Iran cannot afford to alienate the movement.

"The crisis within the movement is receiving greater attention in the media than it deserves," Anna told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

He noted that the movement was committed to the policy of silence. He stressed Islamic Jihad was "keen not to be party to any axis, so as to maintain the unity of the cause and animosity towards the Israeli entity".

"Such crises should be solved away from the media," he said. "We have not in the first place received any information from the movement's leadership that gives credence to these allegations."

At the same time, Anna said if these allegations were proven true "they should be viewed in their normal context, as a result of the siege, the unavailability of cash, and the difficulty of providing the movement with any type of aid".

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.