ARE Palestinians back on the road to unity? Two events of considerable significance have just taken place. First of all, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority permitted members of Hamas to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their movement's founding throughout the West Bank. For its part, Hamas then allowed Fatah members to mark the 48th anniversary of its own establishment with celebrations in Gaza. Not since 2007, when bloody clashes occurred in Gaza at a similar Fatah event, has such a demonstration of support for Fatah been permitted by Hamas. The year before, Hamas had won the majority of seats in the parliamentary elections, the result of which was rejected by Washington and Israel on the grounds that Hamas was a terrorist organization. President George W. Bush completely overlooked the reality that whatever its violent credentials, Hamas had been prepared to pursue the path of peace and put aside the gun for the ballot box. The resulting stand-off plunged the Palestinian territories into bloodshed. Hamas crushed all manifestations of Fatah in Gaza while Fatah did the same to Hamas in the West Bank. For the last five years, Palestinians have been divided to the considerable satisfaction of the Israelis. They have been able to stoke up the fires of anger in Gaza with bloody and sustained assaults, not least on the whole of Gaza four terrible years ago, while Fatah and the Palestinian Authority have been rendered ever more impotent. All this changed with the master stroke of President Mahmoud Abbas in having the UN General Assembly upgrade Palestine's status to “non-member state”. At a stroke, the prospects of a settlement to 65 years of Palestine's agony have improved and Hamas has recognized this. For sure the Israelis and, to its deep discredit the Obama administration, do not see it that way. But the truth is that there can be no two-state solution until the Palestinians are united. No one should pretend that unity is now a foregone conclusion. Both Fatah and Hamas have interests in hanging on to their own fiefdoms, their own power bases. However, in the wider scheme of things such continued rivalry is suicidal for the future of a single Palestine able to speak with a clear an unequivocal voice at the negotiating table. Moreover, even if both Palestinian factions agree to work together, to stage fresh elections and to abide by the result, whichever loses, there will be sinister forces at work to undermine the political process. To their eternal shame, there are still powerful elements in both camps for whom division and violence have provided a good living. These people have to be isolated and, if they will not embrace unity, dealt with. They can no longer be permitted to hold hostage the future of a unified Palestine.
Indeed, it must be wondered if these individuals are not fully aware that by insisting on disunity, they are doing the work of the Zionists, who, whatever their claims in its favor, dread a two-state solution. The Hamas refusal to admit the existence of Israel has always been at base an opening negotiating position. It gives leverage and provides something for Hamas to concede during talks. However, it can also be certain that the Israelis will do everything in their power to wreck the coming together of all Palestinians. This is now the greatest danger, which both Hamas and Fatah must never forget and against which they must do everything to protect themselves and the beleaguered people they represent.
