If Fatah’s determination to punish Hamas for taking control of Gaza was understandable in the immediate aftermath of the crisis, by now, two weeks later — and in the interests of Palestinians everywhere — it should have moved beyond its blanket refusal. Sadly, it has not. In Geneva, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ call on the biannual council of Socialist International to support his attempts to isolate the Hamas “coup d’etat, de-legitimize all militias and defeat the objectives of the putschists,” only serves to abet Israeli on the very same goal while tearing apart the Palestinians and their struggle.
The problem is that factional considerations are now being placed above national ones, though the thorny question of legitimacy, which has so far dominated post-Gaza discussions, should not be the basis upon which the future of the Palestinian question is determined. However, the two estranged Palestinian governments in Ramallah and Gaza are consolidating themselves, each on its respective home-turf. It appears that the release of economic aid by the West and Palestinian taxes by Israel will be spent on Palestinians in the West Bank while economic pressure on the Gaza Strip will continue in order to persuade the Palestinian public to mobilize against the Hamas leadership, forcing it to accept Abbas’ conditions for talks — apologizing for taking control of the Palestinian Authority’s institutions and returning them. However, the more pressure placed on the Palestinian people to disengage from Hamas, and vice versa, the more we will get a completely opposite result, whereby support for Hamas will increase among the Palestinian public. When dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called for a resumption of inter-Palestinian dialogue and the formation of a national unity government, Fatah rejected the invitation in no uncertain terms. It would not, said Fatah officials, talk to “murderers”. It is a stipulation, though, that Fatah leaders do not apply in their discussions with Israeli leaders or their cooperation with a murderous Israeli occupying force.
And when discussions do open, out comes an Israeli warning to Abbas and his government not to renew contacts with Hamas. This is the most efficient way of undermining the Palestinian leader in the eyes of his people. Needless to say, without real progress on the political front and without giving the Palestinians genuine hope for a better future, Abbas will remain in an inherently weak position vis-à-vis Hamas, no matter how many millions of dollars he is given and how many Arab and Western leaders declare their support for him. Indeed, from a certain perspective, the enthusiastic backing Abbas is receiving from Israel and the Bush administration represents a liability rather than an asset for him and his regime. If anything unites Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank it is the need for freedom from the Israeli occupation. This bond needs to be reinforced constantly. There is no alternative to dialogue between both sides. Fatah and Hamas must talk to each other. The world cannot make peace with only half the Palestinians without involving the other half. Nor can the Palestinians make peace among themselves with one half missing.
