Negotiations or Hamas

The Palestinian reconciliation agreement sponsored by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh failed before its ink dried. Whether the agreement was for sharing power between Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Palestinian Liberation Movement (Fatah) of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, or just setting a framework for a dialogue between the two movements, nothing is expected to be achieved.

Even before the Fatah delegation left Yemeni capital Sana'a, aides to Abbas were denouncing the agreement and saying that Fatah representative signed it due to a mix up. Chief Palestinian negotiator, Ahmad Qureia, said that Fatah representative called Abbas' office repeatedly to get guidance, but Abbas was meeting at the time with the US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Another aide, Yasser Abed Rabbo, even said that the agreement should not have been signed, as it gives Hamas the opportunity to lead the situation without giving any concessions.

Abed Rabbo burst out cursing a BBC Arabic reporter who asked him during Gaza turmoil as they talk to Israel and refuses to talk to Hamas, whether he considers Hamas an enemy more than the Israelis. The Israelis put it clear this time, when they put the choice to Abbas after the Sana'a signing.

A senior Israeli official warned Abbas saying a reconciliation deal with Hamas would effectively sink faltering Middle East peace talks. "Mahmoud Abbas must decide whether he wants to continue negotiations with Israel or if he wants to renew an alliance with Hamas, as he cannot have both at the same time," wires quoted the Israeli official.

Cheney also cast doubt on the Palestinian reconciliation, saying before leaving occupied Jerusalem that he did not believe Abbas would agree to reconcile with Hamas until the Islamist group gave up control of the Gaza Strip.

Abbas is actually caught between a rock and a hard place, as he is stuck with no alternative to negotiating with the Israelis, who are not giving him anything to show his people that negotiations are worth it.

Living conditions

Forget about the daily killing of Palestinians - in both Gaza Strip and West bank - by Israeli army or the expansion of colonies in occupied Jerusalem and West Bank, but living conditions of Palestinians in all territories is deteriorating.

Abbas is becoming more of a king without a land to rule, as he himself and his top aides need a special Israeli permission to move from a place to another, even within the West Bank. Gazans feel freer from occupation, at least within the Strip, than West Bank Palestinians.

Last month's Israeli attack on Gaza, and continuous siege for almost a year now, did not end Hamas' self-proclaimed rule of the Strip or destroy the resistance. Israelis want Abbas' authority in Ramallah to do the job, probably with the help of "moderate" Arabs.

There are always Israeli precondition for anything, even to agree on resuming talks with Palestinians, and - with the Americans - they never listen to appeals and pleas, let alone conditions, from the weakened "king of Ramallah".

The situation in Palestine is almost like that in Lebanon. Americans want their allies in Lebanon to dismantle resistance as a precondition to any political reconciliation, but Lebanese "loyalty" can tell the Americans that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese scene and nothing can be achieved without it.

Palestinian leadership is reluctant to do the same, and Hamas' takeover of Gaza is giving it a pretext to cover its weakness by crying victim of a "coup on legitimacy". Again the Israelis are not helping their supposed "partner in peace" with any positive step, and there seems not much gain from negotiations if Palestinians' life under occupation is going from worse to the worst.

Cheney claimed, after meeting Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that Hamas (along with Syria and Iran) is torpedoing peace efforts. Palestinian people ask - rightly - what efforts? And what it is leading to?

National reconciliation between Palestinians, and Lebanese as well for that matter, can not be reached as long as the Israelis and Americans are interfering with it the way we see now.

It must be left to the local partners themselves, and if you are serious about peace you must acknowledge that you do not make peace with friends like you; you make peace with your warring enemy. It is really absurd to pressure Palestinian leadership all the time and force it to a choice between negotiations and part of its people.

Dr Ahmad Mustafa is a London-based Arab writer.