Recent events in Russia and the Caucasus have been spilling over into the domestic rivalry among Islamist movements in the Palestinian territories. In particular, Hamas' courtship of Moscow is frequently invoked by the Salafi-jihadi organizations as proof that Hamas has betrayed pan-Islamic solidarity in favor of parochial interests. Thus, Palestinian Salafi-jihadi organizations were quick to issue eulogies for the Caucasus Emirate's Chief Qadi Anzor Astemirov, who was killed on March 24, 2010, whereas Khaled Mash'al, head of Hamas' political bureau, reportedly condemned the March 29 bombings that the Emirate carried out in Moscow.
In the latest installation of this polemic, the Gaza-based Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wa'l-Jihad (JTJ) has issued a communiqué lambasting Hamas for its position on the jihad in the Caucasus, and in particular for Mash'al's reported condemnation of the Moscow bombings.
