Fatah And Hamas Agree To Form A Unity Government

Fatah, Hamas Reach Egyptian-Brokered Reconciliation -- Jerusalem Post

Parties reach agreement on interim government, set a date for elections; Hamas, Fatah leaders to be invited to Cairo for signing ceremony.

Following a series of secret meetings in Cairo and Damascus over the past few weeks, Hamas and Fatah announced on Wednesday that they have struck a deal to form a “national unity” government and hold elections after one year.

The agreement, which has been hailed by both sides as “historic,” was reached under the auspices of the Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and General Intelligence Force.

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More News On Fatah And Hamas Agreeing To Form A Palestinian Unity Government

Rival Palestinian Factions Agree on Forming Interim Government -- Voice of America
Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas 'agree to end rift' -- BBC
Palestinian officials: Unity agreement reached -- AP
Fatah, Hamas in unity govt 'understanding' -- AFP
Palestinian Groups Fatah, Hamas Agree on Preliminary Accord to End Divide -- Bloomberg
Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal -- New York Times
Palestine Rivals Fatah, Hamas Hammer Out Deal To Resolve Stand-off -- RTT News
Hamas and Fatah reach resolution -- Financial Times
Fatah-Hamas pact to include release of prisoners -- Ynet News
U.S. reacts coolly to Palestinian reconciliation -- Reuters
After Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, US plays it cool -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas-Fatah pact: Is the peace process over? -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

My Comment: With Hamas now involved in the Palestinian government, one can kiss-off (what little that there is left) the peace process.

The West Bank's Third Intifada Approaches

From Global Post:

Rain on the streets of Bethlehem can't cool simmering tension.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — A writer seeks the surprise of a “man bites dog” story. The most violent times of the Second Intifada, which took place under the leaden winter skies of early 2002, gave me mine. I wrote about Arabs in the rain.

It was raining in the city of Jesus’ birth throughout “The Collaborator of Bethlehem,” the first of my Palestinian crime novels. I set the story during the brief Middle Eastern winter because it makes the place look different, not as one might expect.

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My Comment: Unlike the previous two Intifada's that were organized and managed by Fatah, another Intifada would involve a second partner .... Hamas. But with these two organizations fighting among themselves one can only expect a future intifada to be bloody and violent .... especially among the Palestinians.

Divided, Demoralized Palestinian Movement Hopes To Hit 'Restart'

From McClatchy News:

RAMALLAH, West Bank — For half a century, the fortunes of the Palestinian people have been inextricably linked to the fate of Fatah, the once-dominant political movement founded by Yasser Arafat. Five years after Arafat's death, the movement is divided, and hopes of establishing even a weak Palestinian state alongside Israel appear as elusive as ever.

Next week, for the first time in two decades, Fatah leaders from around the world will meet in Bethlehem at a conference they hope will be a new start. The run-up to the conference doesn't give demoralized Palestinians much reason for hope, however.

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My Comment: The McClatchy news reporter realizes what all Middle East observers have known for a long time .... there is no viable partner on the Palestinian side to negotiate peace.

As long as the Palestinians remain divided, any talk about peace will just be that .... talk.

Fatah, Hamas Split Widens Amid Gaza War

From Christian Science Monitor:

Members of the secular Fatah movement, which controls the Palestinian Authority, are divided over how the group should respond to the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas.

Ramallah, West Bank - As Israel's battering campaign in Hamas-run Gaza continues, pushing the Palestinian death toll toward 1,000, the Fatah-controlled West Bank has been largely quiescent.

Fatah is keeping a lid on protests, not letting West Bankers draw it into Israel's war on Hamas. Senior voices in the secular party that runs the Palestinian Authority (PA) see restraint as key to its quest for statehood. Getting entangled in Gaza, they say, would only embolden Hamas.

Others say Fatah is making a fatal mistake. Its inaction will irreparably damage its standing in the eyes of Palestinians and erode support for the group that both America and Israel view as peace partners.

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