The deteriorating relations between Hamas and Fatah following the recent Israeli war on Gaza was the primary focus of the region’s newspapers.

Commenting on this issue, the UAE’s Al Bayan said that for Palestinians unity is the most powerful weapon to resist the Israeli occupier’s media machine and massive arsenal of weapons.

“Amid the media crossfire between Hamas and Fatah, circumstances demand that both parties see through the reconciliation dossier, unite the Palestinian leadership in its decisions for peace or war against the occupation [forces].

“As things stand, the contentious issues have not yet been resolved in the truce negotiations. Moreover, Israel did not abide by any of the proclaimed preliminary agreements, which include the entry of raw materials for reconstruction of structures destroyed by Israel during the war. This means overcoming internal differences is a priority for the Palestinians, in order to face up to the forces of occupation from a position of strength, not division.”

In the context of the fraught relationship between the two main Palestinian factions, Lebanon’s Daily Star said that the sniping between officials from Hamas and Fatah shows that their relationship has reverted to “normal”, meaning an inability to put aside differences for the greater national good.

“Palestinian politicians have been busy of late, putting together one of their most determined, powerful performances in recent memory — to wreck any gains that might have been made during this summer’s military conflict with Israel. Perhaps Palestinian politicians should be reminded that the war has yet to produce any movement on the core demands related to lifting Israel’s blockade of Gaza; perhaps they should be reminded that in the wake of the hostilities, Israel felt confident enough to stage the largest land grab of occupied territory in several decades.

“By letting their rivalry get the better of their judgment, Palestinian politicians are wasting all of the time and effort that was put into producing their ‘unity’ agreement, which was announced with such fanfare earlier this year. They are acting as if tens of thousands of people in Gaza have overcome the dire humanitarian crisis they face, and as if they have no danger of losing any further land to the Israelis. In short, Palestinian leaders are performing in a way that only an Israeli leader can love,” the editorial concluded.

It is perhaps now just a matter of time before the unity government crashes with a loud thud — this was the view of the Oman Tribune. “After the recent deadly Hamas-Israel confrontation, in which more than 2,100 [Palestinians] were killed, there were hopes that Palestinian unity would be strengthened. Sadly, this has not happened. Whatever be the truth, the fact is that both Fatah and Hamas are making a terrible blunder by sowing the seeds of distrust among them. The end of the unity government may mean the end of Palestine as one entity. In the future, Gaza may have a separate government while another entity would have powers over the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“This discord would grievously wound the Palestinian cause and cause a total loss of confidence in the Palestinian leadership among all, including the Arabs, Muslims and other supporters. At the same time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may laugh heartily and perhaps even boast that the Palestinians have been destroyed without a single shot having been fired by his security forces.”