In October 2017, two rival Palestinian factions, Fatah from the West Bank and Hamas from the
Gaza strip, signed a deal that would put an end to a decade-long conflict within palestinian
politics.
If the reconciliation deal is actually implemented, the move could signal a shifting point in
Palestinian-Israeli relations.
So we wanted to know, what are the differences between each group and what could unification
mean for the peace process moving forward?
First off, Hamas and Fatah are two palestinian political groups with very different objectives
and approaches.
Fatah was formed in the late 1950s by Yasser Arafat, who previously fought against Israel
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
He created the group with the goal of liberating Palestine from Israeli occupation through
armed and violent resistance.
Over time, Fatah’s approach began to soften towards Israel and in the 1990s officially
committed to a two-state solution.
After abandoning its violent origins, in 1993 Arafat signed the historic Oslo Accords which
was the first official mutual recognition between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Although the accord didn’t establish an independent Palestinian state, it did transfer
some power to a newly formed Palestinian Authority to govern over cities in the West Bank and
Gaza.
Today, Fatah calls for peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation and supports a
two-state solution with a secular Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, however, has a much different objective in mind.
The group was formed in 1987 during the first palestinian Intifada, or uprising.
It began as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational islamist
movement that started in Egypt decades prior.
Hamas is an extremist group with two separate parts: a political wing, and an armed militant
wing, called the Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades.
The militant group has been responsible for multiple suicide bombings inside of Israel
and has repeatedly launched indiscriminate rockets across its border.
These actions are why Israel and much of the international community classify the group
as a “terrorist organization.”
But many in Gaza see the group as a legitimate resistance movement.
This, coupled with Hamas’ charitable work, which included setting up food banks and social
services for Palestinians living in the Gaza strip, made the political movement incredibly
popular.
This paved the way for the group to win parliamentary election in 2006, marking the first time a
political party defeated Fatah.
Today, Hamas rejects to possibility of a two-state solution and seeks the destruction of Israel
all together, hoping to establish an Islamic Palestinian state where the west bank, Gaza,
& Israel are all located.
These objectives have created a stark contrast between Hamas and Fatah.
These differences led to a conflict between the groups when Fatah, led by president Mahmud
Abbas, refused to cede power after losing the 2006 election.
In June 2007, Hamas took over Gaza by force, bloody gun battles in the streets left more
than one hundred people dead and 500 injured during the violence.
President Abbas shortly after declared a state of emergency and dismissed the unity government.
After Hamas took control of Gaza, Israel imposed a harsh blockade on the strip of land, citing
security concerns.
The action restricted access to Gaza by land, air, and sea -- cutting off the flow of goods
and supplies to the nearly 2 million citizens living there and essentially locking them
into the tiny strip of land.
Human suffering was only exacerbated by a series of brutal Israeli military campaigns
in Gaza meant to target Hamas officials but collectively left more than 3,000 palestinians
dead.
And most recently, living conditions in Gaza have also been severely damaged by the Palestinian
Authority, after president Abbas asked Israel to limit the electricity supply to Gaza, because
it wants Hamas to share the costs.
The move has limited the Gazans to only a few hours of power per day.
Hamas’ inability to provide such basic necessities has caused its popularity to dip, which led
to its cooperation in the latest reconciliation deal.
The deal was signed in Cairo, Egypt on October 13, 2017 -- and stipulated that Fatah will
run Gaza until a new administration can be formed by the end of the year.
But what hasn’t been discussed or included in the deal yet, is the fate of the Al-Qassam
Brigades or if Hamas will recognize Israel.
These two issues have derailed reconciliation deals in the past, and could have the potential
to derail them again if Hamas decides not to disarm itself and not recognize Israel.
If the deal goes through without Hamas doing these two things, the entire Palestinian Authority
would then be considered a “terrorist organization” by Israel and The U.S. and lose more than
$400 million in aid annually.
But if it does disarm and recognize Israel, it could signal pivotal moment in history
for the Israeli - Palestinian peace process.
But only time will truly tell whether this deal will be different than previous failed
efforts over the past ten years.
Palestine has been in an uphill battle politically and economically since the 1940s.
So, with its status still in limbo, how powerful is Palestine?
To find out, check out this video to the right!
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