Fatah and Hamas Seek to Mend Fences

(Photo Courtesy of PRI’s The World)

Recognizing that obstacles for the creation of an

independent Palestinian state have as much to do
with Israeli obstinence as the feud between Hamas
and Fatah, the two factions announced that a tentative
agreement has been reached between the two.

A formal agreement to be signed by leaders of both Hamas and Fatah includes the
formation of a unity government followed by parliamentary and presidential elections.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Taher Al-Nounou, announced these developments at a
Cairo press conference.

Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmad said, “We have agreed to form a government composed of
independent figures that would start preparing for presidential and parliamentary
elections.” He added, “Elections would be held in about eight months from now.”
Additionally, the Arab League would be involved in the process as the agreement is
implemented.

While an agreement reconciling differences between the Western backed Fatah and the
anti-Israeli Hamas would be historic, the agreement offers new challenges to both
Israel and Hamas. Hamas would be faced with denouncing its longstanding claim that
Israel has no right to exist and acknowledging Israel as a legitimate state and at the
same time renouncing terrorism.

Conversely, Israel would be faced with two choices. Either negotiate with Hamas and
Fatah as equal partners or continue to refuse to negotiate and risk killing the chances
of reaching an agreement that would be a precursor to an independent Palestinian
state.

Already, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, “The Palestinian
Authority has to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas.” Mr.
Netanyahu continued, “Peace with both of them is impossible, because Hamas aspires
to destroy the state of Israel and says so openly.”

Since Hamas defeated Fatah in the 2006 parliamentary elections and ousted Fatah in
the Gaza Strip following a 2007 civil war, peace negotiations over an independent
Palestinian state have been stalled. Israel and the West have refused to negotiate with
Hamas because of its use of terrorism and have encouraged Fatah to shun Hamas and
refuse any negotiated settlement that would see the two sides reconcile their
differences.

However, the peace process can be revived if Hamas and Fatah reconcile their
differences and Hamas takes certain steps such as renouncing terrorism and
recognizing Israel’s right to exist.

This agreement comes amid upheaval in the Middle East. Syria’s Assad’s government
is under internal assault and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has been ousted. The
so-called Arab Spring forced both Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’s Khaled
Mashaal to ponder their own futures and acted as a push factor in forcing each side to
the negotiating table.

The ousting of Egypt’s Mubarak and the internal troubles facing Syria’s Assad forced
both Hamas and Fatah to realize that the status quo of being supported by Middle
East regimes might be ending. Al Jazeera’s Marwan Bishara commented, “At the end,
you could say that President Abbas has lost his patron in Egypt, which is President
Mubarak, and Hamas is more on less facing almost similar trouble now, with Bashar
Al-Assad [Syria's president] facing his own trouble in Damascus.”

Dissatisfaction with the lack of unity between Hamas and Fatah risked eventually
bringing down both sides.

Palestinian views of corruption and a lack of accountability run high in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank and because of this, Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’s Khaled
Mashaal were forced to come to terms and reconcile their differences or witness
upheavals of their own.

Last month, thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to
denounce the lack of unity between Fatah and Hamas. During one of these
demonstrations, Palestinian youth organizer Mahmoud Nawajaa told Public Radio
International’s The World, “We need to be in one…To make free [our] Palestinian
state.” Nawajaa added, “The people are here and the demonstration here is to keep the
pressure on Fatah and Hamas to end the division.” Interestingly, the demonstrators in
the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were not seeking wholesale changes to the
leadership of Fatah and Hamas. They were only seeking political reconciliation.

Despite the positive steps taken by both sides, the years of feuding and a lack of trust
has made any lasting agreement uncertain. Political science professor at Al Azhar
University, Mkhaimer Abusada makes the point, “Looking at the past four years, at
the lack of trust, the lack of confidence, the incitement on both sides, it makes every
reasonable person question whether this will be implemented on the ground.”

However, despite the uncertainty of whether the agreement will be implemented and
if it will last, this development illustrates that both sides realized that the current
situation was untenable. “Both Hamas and Fatah have reached the point that there is
no other choice but to end the divide and bring about Palestinian unity,” Abusada
added.

Before the agreement was announced in Cairo there were three main issues that had
derailed efforts in the past to reach political reconciliation. Because Hamas had been
excluded from the Palestinian Liberation Organization the agreement had to address
the interim leadership of the PLO and also, any agreement had to include a deadline
and tribunal for the upcoming elections.

Interestingly, the United States has taken a wait and see approach. Tommy Vietor of
the National Security Council said that while the U.S. supports reconciliation, Hamas,
“is a terrorist organization which targets civilians,” and will have to renounce its ties
to terrorism and recognize Israel’s right to exist as the U.S. has said many times in the
past.

Moving forward, the agreement between Hamas and Fatah could very well be the last
best chance at finding a path forward in reaching an agreement with Israel over an
independent Palestinian state.

Most importantly, Israel and the United States will have to reconsider their positions
on Hamas. By refusing to negotiate with Hamas they are ignoring realities on the
ground.

Hamas legitimately won the 2006 parliamentary elections that were considered free
and fair by many.

Because of this, if an agreement is reached and appears that it will last, Israel and the
U.S. will have to develop a different approach in future negotiations.
However, the most important step that the Palestinians should take as a collective unit
once the agreement is put in place is to recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce
terrorism against that state.

John Lyman is the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Affairs Journal.