TALKS between Fatah and Hamas failed. Talks between Fatah and Hamas didn't fail. Hamas had reservations on the Yemeni reconciliation initiative. Hamas embraced the Yemeni reconciliation initiative. Hamas says it's Fatah's fault. Fatah says it's Hamas's fault. Fatah: Hanieh's government is illegitimate. Hamas: Fayyad's government is illegitimate. If this sounds like the proverbial Arabian rumor mill at work, it is. Those were the news that Arab media outlets reported over the past couple of days. Of course, no one knows as of yet who exactly accepted or rejected what. What we do know, however, is that Hamas and Fatah still haven't yet resolved their often deadly disputes over who's in charge of the Palestinian people. There are a couple of other equally disturbing facts. Fact 1: the latter, of course are the only losers. Fact 2: Israel is the only winner. The least one can say about the Yemeni initiative to bring the two sides together is that it's commendable. But there are much bigger issues at stake here. The Yemeni initiative is practically meaningless if Fatah and Hamas did not conjure up all the will power they have to sit down and talk out their differences. The problem is that everyone had thought that the two sides had already done that. They even took oaths in the Holy Mosque that they will work it out. But after that, they were at it again. Of course, Saudi Arabia wisely refrained from intervening again, because the two sides already had their chance and made their vows. After these vows were broken, the Kingdom has absolutely no reason to embarrass itself with Palestinian politicians who don't take their promises seriously. At this point, it doesn't make a difference where Fatah and Hamas meet, whether in Makkah or Sana. While they make no secret of being ready to kill each other, Israel is making no secret of its intention to wipe out thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to spare Israelis from rocket attacks. Israel has always been known to bring a baseball bat to a snooker game, with Palestinians being the balls. But it is Fatah and Hamas, with their stubborn inability to listen to each other, who are providing the perfect playing table. Just on Friday, Palestinian factions in the Ain Al-Hilwa refugee camp in Lebanon moved in quick unison to quell a spark of violence between Fatah and an extremist group. If the Palestinians can agree not to fight outside Palestine, there is no reason for them to disagree within. __
