As clashes with deadly consequences continue between Fatah and Hamas, the Palestinians as a people and a political system appear to have lost their bearings, if not their senses. Casualty figures — seven people killed over the weekend, 25 dead since Thursday and 50 killed since early December — would not sound out of place had they resulted from an Israeli offensive. But Israel is not to blame this time. This is Palestinian killing Palestinian and the blame can only be placed upon Palestinians. And it is becoming an increasingly bloody power struggle over who is to control their government.
Peace talks must be held, not just with Israel but between Hamas and Fatah. When they met in Damascus, President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political chief, Khaled Meshaal, did not provide the breakthrough many were hoping for. Negotiations for a national unity government upon which hinge stability, resumption of donor aid and renewed peace discussions for a state move forward one day but backward the next. Casualties then mount and talking later resumes. The parties must dramatically desert this same-old-story scenario if a genuine agreement is to be reached.
The call by Abbas for early elections if a unity government cannot be formed sounds more like a threat than a peace overture. And indeed, given Hamas’ refusal to agree to a vote, early elections will only exacerbate the situation. The president’s supporters in Palestine, as well as in Western and Eastern capitals, hope he can create a new government which will agree at least to a verbal formula recognizing Israel’s existence. This will then allow the easing of financial sanctions originally put in place for the sole purpose of crippling the Hamas administration. Hamas, however, is not ready or willing to lose even the slightest influence, neither by way of a new government or by new elections.
If they are to be believed, Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh are urging calm. They say the violence should end, that Palestinian blood is sacred, and that dialogue is the only option available. Thus far, though, the Palestinian factions which are being led by these two officials have failed to strike a proper balance between their aspirations and practical exigencies. The Palestinian people, in turn, must never lose sight of the fact that Palestine is still under occupation, that Palestine belongs to all Palestinians, that no one is entitled to take sole control of the national cause, that dialogue is imperative and that the people, not the leaders, must decide their own future. The Palestinian people need security. They need protection from gun-wielding militiamen. They need financial stability. They need decent living conditions. And at this critical juncture of unprecedented Palestinian inter-rivalry, they expect their leaders to face up to their responsibilities. All factions must place the higher national interest above their own. Hopefully, the Palestinians will continue to talk and eventually speak with one voice.
