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Making matters worse
Israel is the main beneficiary of Hamas-Fatah infighting.
- By Manal Alafrangi,Opinion Editor
- Published: 23:23 August 5, 2008
Palestinians are witnessing the worst infighting between their two main political factions - Fatah and Hamas - since last year when over a hundred people were killed. And the feud has only deepened with recent arrests and reported torture under detention as well as use of weapons and bombs to "settle scores". So bad is the situation that Fatah members (or as some like to refer to them, "Dahlan's men") fled to Israel for shelter after being granted access at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt.
This shows Fatah in a negative light. It also shows how much (or how little) it cares about Gazans. At a time when hundreds of men, women, and children from Gaza are refused permission to travel abroad for something as urgent as medical treatment (and die subsequently), Fatah has quickly intervened to allow its members to get to Israeli military bases and get transferred into the West Bank - for political reasons.
Both factions have mishandled the current situation. Beginning with the beach bombing on July 26, where six Hamas members were killed most likely by elements within Fatah. Hamas then reacted by storming an area of the Sheja'ya neighbourhood, demanding that residents give up suspects in connection with the bombing. Upon refusal, a gun battle ensued and 11 people died. Other arrests and releases have followed since, providing bad examples of governance by both sides. There are also the media restrictions that were imposed by Hamas.
The situation looks bleak; Fatah leadership is weak and Hamas has now shown some signs of a weakening grip on power. In this regard, the Islamist organisation has acted out in the worst possible way, given that its greatest achievement had been to bring law and order to the Gaza Strip.
Not looking good
Despite Egyptian attempts to reconcile the two, things are not looking good. Meanwhile the international community continues to ignore Gaza and its people because of Hamas, despite its legitimate win in the legislative elections in 2006.
Why have the Palestinians reached this low point? Weren't they supposed to be fighting the Israeli occupation, which controls both the West Bank and Gaza? What is clear is that Israel is the main beneficiary from Palestinian political divisions as this prolongs serious peace talks and portrays the Palestinians as the more troubled peace partners. And let's face it, Israel has never looked so good thanks to this mess. Beyond the infighting, there are major problems. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has been deteriorating since the international community decided to punish an entire people for having elected Hamas and not Fatah in January 2006.
Also, Palestinian-Israeli relations have been effected by the recent bulldozer attacks in Occupied Jerusalem, which have certainly put a strain on Palestinians living in the Jewish state. As for peace negotiations, Abbas is yet to produce anything. And it doesn't really help that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is on his way out, even if he didn't achieve any breakthroughs in the peace process.
Palestinians will soon have to deal with either Tzipi Livni, the current foreign minister and former Mossad agent, Shaul Mofaz, the hardline transport minister who says an Israeli attack on Iran is inevitable, or of course, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud leader who is a notorious supporter of illegal colonies on Palestinian land. Without a doubt, the next Israeli leader and the current Palestinian one will have a very difficult job in the coming months.
As ever, Palestinians must concentrate on uniting and forming a common strategy towards Israel. There is absolutely no room for stalling; the longer the rift stays, the more damaging its consequences will be. Hamas should learn to be more pragmatic in its approach with Fatah and shouldn't fall for its provocations. There is no room for reckless reactions. As for Abbas, he should act as the president of all Palestinians, not just one faction. Gazans too, are Palestinians and deserve the same rights as his Fatah members.
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