Can Fatah And Hamas Reconcile?

Palestinian demonstrators take part in a protest calling for Palestinian political unity between Gaza's Hamas rulers and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority which rules from Ramallah, on March 15, 2011in Gaza City, as Palestinian activists across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank stage a day of massive demonstrations to call for political unity. UPI/Ismael Mohamad.

The Palestinians: Can Fatah and Hamas Be Friends? -- Karl Vick, Time

Under pressure from the Palestinian public, the political factions that have ruled a divided Palestine for the last five years are making what each calls a sincere effort to reconcile. Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah party that governs the West Bank, has accepted an invitation from rival Hamas to travel to the Gaza Strip. The visit would be the first since Hamas drove Fatah operatives out of Gaza in 2007 — throwing some off from the tops of buildings — in the turmoil that followed Hamas' surprise victory in elections months earlier.

Read more ....

My Comment: There has been calls from ordinary Palestinians for Hamas and Fatah to to bury their differences for a very long time. Unfortunately .... their dispute has taken the dimensions of a blood feud, with too much of a bad history for any trust or reconciliation to occur. My prediction .... it will take a new generation of leaders (20-30 years from now) to bury this hatchet.

Hamas, Fatah Tensions Heat Up Ahead Of Unity Talks

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, left;
Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, right
Photo from San Francisco Sentinel

From Reuters:

GAZA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Hamas accused the rival Fatah movement on Monday of arresting 80 members of the Islamist group in a bid to sabotage Egyptian-brokered Palestinian reconciliation talks due to begin this week.

The issue underscores the challenges Cairo faces in trying to end Hamas-Fatah divisions and establish a unity government with a pro-peace policy that could lead to the lifting of an Israeli-led blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, said 80 Hamas members were detained in the West Bank, where Fatah holds sway, over the past few days.

Read more ....

My Comment: The differences between these two sides is irreconcilable. Conflict between the two cannot be avoided. Everyone knows that with the exception of the diplomats ... and for those who hope for the best.

The Palestinian Civil War Continues

Hamas Gunmen (Photo from ABC.net)

The Fatah-Hamas Rift Deepens -- Foreign Policy Blog

While the Israel-Hamas war has come to a inconclusive end, the ongoing Palestinian civil war shows no sign of abating. There had been some thought that the Israeli offensive in Gaza could lead Hamas and Fatah to find a common cause against their shared enemy. Instead, suspicion between the two factions appears to be at an all-time high.

Over the weekend, Hamas accused Palestinian Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas of playing a "major role" in the assassination of Hamas Interior Minister Said Siam, through filtering intelligence from Fatah agents on the ground to the Israeli military. In response, Fatah members accused one of Siam's bodyguards of passing on his location to Israel. "Hamas is full of spies and corrupt people who are prepared to do anything in return for a few hundred shekels," said one Fatah spokesman, by way of explanation.

Read more ....

More News On The Conflict Between Hamas And Fatah

Hamas, Fatah bicker following Gaza operation -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas asserts control in Gaza, seeks 'collaborators' -- Montreal Gazette
Hamas asserts control in Gaza, seeks "collaborators" -- Reuters
Mideast: Fatah says Hamas "killed" members during conflict -- ADN Kronos
Hamas makes revenge bid against Fatah members, suspected collaborators -- New York Daily News
Blood feud building between Hamas, Fatah: 'There will be violence' -- World Tribune
Gaza divide shadows Arab economic summit -- The National
Amid Gaza rubble, defiant Hamas reasserts control -- McClatchy Newspapers