Daily Times

The conflict between Hamas and Fatah, the two main Palestinian parties, began when Hamas refused to agree to Fatah’s approach on the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to make peace with Israel. The conflict intensified when Hamas won the elections of 2006. The EU and US cut off aid to the Palestinian territories because both designated Hamas as a terrorist group and, therefore, Hamas was not allowed to take power.

However, when the US administration used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block a draft resolution condemning Israel’s continued settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President, realised that they would never be able to achieve the status of an independent state until Hamas and Fatah resolved their conflicts. Moreover, there was tremendous pressure from the Palestinians who urged the two parties to resolve their issues, as they firmly believed it was the only way to combat Israel.

Back in 2007, under Mubarak’s regime, Egypt too was supporting Israel and had sealed off the Gaza Strip, which meant that the Palestinians in Gaza were cut off, even from supplies . Now, after Mubarak’s overthrow, the new government has been of immense support to Palestine and has played a major role in bringing Hamas and Fatah together. Therefore, the change in Egypt, the hardline stance taken by Israel and the US’s support to Israel all combined to persuade Mahmoud Abbas that the only way to progress in their struggle for independence was by uniting. Hence, the accord in Cairo where both parties reached a truce.

For long, the Palestinians have been suffering due to the constant fighting between Hamas and Fatah. The two factions of the Palestinian resistance movement virtually became entities unto themselves in their own territories. Therefore, nothing could have been better for the Palestinians than overcoming the rifts that led to conflict and fighting. They can finally speak with one voice now, which will lend weight to their position and take them one step ahead in achieving their goal of enjoying the status of an independent state.

However, the fact remains that unless and until Palestine establishes itself as a state according to the 1967 borders, peace with Israel is highly unlikely and a continuation of that conflict is bound to inflame the Middle East even more than it already is and will prove detrimental to US interests as Obama has already disappointed his people by taking Israel’s side one too many times. *