Division in Muslim Brotherhood?

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Divisions have emerged in the Muslim Brotherhood as a battle for power drags on between conservatives loyal to Hamas and moderates favoring Jordan.

Hamas gained independence from the Jordanian membership in 2006, prompting a decline in the number of its seats on a tribal council from 12 to four.

Pro-Jordanian moderates, meanwhile, want their members in the region to abandon their dual membership with Hamas and Jordan on the council of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Haman Saeed, the leader of the Palestinian faction of the Muslim Brotherhood, said his organization wants its seats back, Emirati newspaper The National reports. Palestinians want the movement to move under the control of Hamas as the representative of the Palestinian diaspora. Moderates, the report says, believe priorities should focus on Jordan.

The dual-membership issue exposed rifts at the latest council meeting in August, with votes delayed over the matter indefinitely.

Analysts say if hardliners gain more control, deeper divisions will emerge in the organization.

Saeed, however, discounted the claims, saying solidarity prevailed when dealing with previous divisions.

"I assure you that the movement has the tools of love, unity, dialogue and decision making thanks to God," he said.