It is as though nothing happened on the Palestinian arena for the past ten years. Voices are now rising from it – on the eleventh anniversary of the second Intifada – calling for the repetition of the painful and bitter experience with which the last decade ended, whether at the level of the Palestinian domestic situation or at the level of the conflict with Israel. The political reservations over the nature of the current negotiations may be understandable, but these reservations do not justify leading+ the Palestinians once again toward a new unknown, especially since the Palestinian internal political and even geographic map does not allow any efficient action in the face of Israel. Indeed, the conflict between the two main powers, “Fatah” and “Hamas,” has not yet been resolved in a way that would unify the Palestinian front and bring it back to the way it used to be before the two last uprisings. Moreover, the division of the Palestinian administration between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with two different agendas, renders any uprising a partial one that is limited to one part of the Palestinian territory. This topples in advance any chance of achieving the desired gains. Therefore, the calls for a new Intifada are a mere attempt to embarrass the other side, i.e. Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, or an outbidding attempt to compensate for the loss of positions which were created by the second Intifada. Certainly, the current Palestinian situation is not at its best and is even facing a major challenge on which the fate of the conflict will be based. It is also suffering a massive internal flaw represented by the divergence over the organizational and political references, as well as the management of the conflict with Israel and the size of the regional influences that have difference goals despite the claims of supporting the cause. In light of these circumstances, the Palestinian authority does not have many options. This is due to the situation seen on the domestic arena as a result of the second Intifada, the severance of the Strip, the excessive Israeli hostility and the regional and international pressures. As long as these conditions exist, it will never have a choice, and the random calls, the big slogans and the exchange of accusations do not facilitate the improvement of these circumstances. Consequently, contemplating the foundations that could change the Palestinian situation seems legitimate, provided that the experience of the second Intifada and the experience of the last ten years are carefully thought through, and provided that the Palestinian flaws and the ways to fix the organizational and political situation are pinpointed. In his press statements on the tenth anniversary of the eruption of the second Intifada, Marwan al-Barghouti drew up a roadmap for this project, which all the Palestinian sides should take into consideration. The captive Fatah leader, despite his pessimism about the possibility of reaching peace with the current Israeli right-wing government, noted points of strength in the Palestinian situation. These points are to be used for the redrafting of the national project in a manner that overcomes reconciliation and the division of power between two sides or more, in order to rebuild one authority throughout the Palestinian territories and abroad to speak in the name of the Palestinians and carry their concerns and demands. In this context, Al-Barghouti believed there was comprehensiveness between the building of the state institutions in the West Bank - praising the efforts of current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at this level - the restitution of the authority of the Palestinian decision by correcting “the historic mistake” committed by Hamas which took over the Strip by use of force, and the reinstatement of the Palestinian principles in terms of establishing a Palestinian state on all the territories occupied in 1967 based on democracy and plurality. Today, as Fatah and Hamas are resuming the talks over the Egyptian reconciliation paper – without much optimism – Al-Barghouti's ideas could constitute a way out, if the Palestinians truly want to end their division and work together to achieve the Palestinian goals.
