Fatah, Hamas Meetings in Gaza Cut Short
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, partners in a unity government, continue at odds with one another.
A 40-member Fatah delegation, led by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, arrived in the Gaza Strip this week to meet with their Hamas counterparts.
The meetings ended prematurely over what Hamdallah described as "differences of opinion," though some believe an ongoing power struggle is the root of their rivalry.
While both factions share similar ideologies when it comes to Israel, their internecine squabbling sometimes reaches a boiling point. Last August, Israel intelligence uncovered a Hamas plot to topple Abbas and his government.
Most would agree their animousity shot to new levels in June 2007 when Hamas wrested control of Gaza from P.A. security forces in a bloody military coup. Firsthand accounts reported security forces shot in front of their families or pushed to their deaths from high-rise buildings. Many Fatah members fled for their lives.
While both factions endorse acts of "resistance" against the Israeli "occupation," the power struggle between them appears to continue unabated.
The contentious issues include which party's members qualify as paid government employees, something that eludes discussion, let alone consensus.
Meanwhile, elements of both factions continue to engage in terror activities. Last week, a bomb exploded near the former Gaza residence of P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, which was converted to government offices a year ago for the unity coalition.
In Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), IDF and Palestinian security forces continue arresting tens of Hamas activists for involvement in terror activities. Hamas blames Abbas and Hamdallah.
"This wave of arrests proves that the security coordination [with Israel] continues at the highest level, and there is no weight behind the PLO Central Committee's decision to end the cooperation," Hamas spokesman Hossam Badran said at the time.
The first unity government, based on the Saudi-sponsored Mecca Accords, self-destructed in the spring of 2007. It lasted three months. The PLO's Fatah rules from its headquarters in Ramallah.
Despite the P.A.'s decision more than a year ago to abandon talks with Israel and accrue international backing for the formation of an independent state, internal rivalry renders it a moot point for now.
