A united step for Palestine

Over the past week, two significant developments took place for the Palestinians: Yemen's attempt to reconcile the two factions, Hamas and Fatah, and Egypt's efforts to broker a ceasefire between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel.

In Yemen, Hamas and Fatah signed a Yemeni-brokered reconciliation deal last Sunday promising to revive direct talks and ultimately return to the power-sharing deal in place before last summer's fighting in Gaza. This will hopefully deliver a much-needed restoration of ties between leaders in Gaza and the West Bank and could kick start as early as next month.

The Yemeni initiative, engineered by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, calls for the situation in Gaza to return to the way it was before Hamas took full control of the area in June, after routing Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the formation of a unity government. While the initiative is crystal clear, some are calling it confusing and many are choosing the interpretation that best suits them.

Still, an agreement could pave the way for new elections in the Occupied Territories, which would enable Hamas to yet again prove itself in the political mainstream and a chance for the Palestinians to move forward from the nearly one-year infighting that has affected their lives deeply.

Most alarmingly, Israel responded to this very positive and crucial step for Palestinians by threatening to cut off peace talks with Abbas if his Fatah faction joins forces with Hamas.

Exactly what would that achieve? And since when did talk of Palestinian unity get in the way of a broader peace for everyone? Israel's knee-jerk reaction is only reflective of the level of its seriousness - or lack thereof - to reach peace with the Palestinians. Instead of welcoming a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, the Jewish state has decided to apply pressure tactics on the already Israel-friendly Abbas.

Surely Israel is content with the current situation in the Occupied Territories. The present setting has allowed Tel Aviv to carry out its vicious attacks against Palestinians in Gaza and still pretend to be serious about peace - and continue to receive unequivocal international support. As a result, the current Israel-Palestinian initiative for peace has been weakened and serious negotiations have been pushed to later stages.

Potential agreement

But Israel should look at a potential agreement between the two sides as a good thing. Hamas would relinquish power in Gaza, which is what Israel has long demanded. Fatah should use this opportunity to confront Israel about its current occupation, its illegal policies regarding the construction and expansion of Israeli colonies, the illegal separation wall, and its plans for Occupied Jerusalem. The fate of Palestinian refugees should not be forgotten either.

As for Egypt's efforts to bring about a ceasefire between Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the one side and Israel, an opening of Egypt's border with Gaza and maybe even prisoner exchanges, things don't look too good with early reports saying Israel has not and will not take part in such talks. Moreover, the success of Egypt's mission is being undermined by the latest news of Hamas men being subjected to torture chambers by Egypt.

It is hoped however, whether openly or discreetly, that Israel will make this a priority given the recent rise in the number of Palestinian deaths caused by Israel's indiscriminate attacks. An unofficial Gaza ceasefire benefits everybody.

On the other hand, the US Vice-President Dick Cheney's visit to the Occupied Territories (much like his fellow Republican John McCain) delivered the usual message of "we Americans" support Israel unconditionally. As if anyone ever really doubted that.

Last Sunday, Cheney said, "As President Bush has said, the establishment of a state of Palestine is long overdue and the Palestinian people deserve it" but "terror and rockets do not merely kill innocent civilians, they also kill the legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people". He forgot to mention Israeli terror and rockets and tanks and bullets and F-16s.

Cheney's comments, which omitted Israeli brutalities against Palestinians are provocative and add nothing to the US-sponsorship of peace. As many analysts have pointed out, the real motivations behind his trip were really oil and Iran.