Palestine Accord and Way forward

[rose_pak]

Please share consise information in notes form.


HAMS - FATEH TENSION
Hamas got majority in 2006 elections and formed the geovernment in Palestine. However, given the radicalist nature of Hamas, it could not retain the power due to international pressure and internal conflict with Fateh, the moderate party headed by Mehmood Abbas.

Exploiting the Hamas-Fatah split, Israel has unleashed its armed fury on the Gaza Strip from time to time, the last such attack in 2008-09 killing nearly 1,500 Palestinians, 70 per cent of them civilians.


HAMAS - FATEH ACCORD April 2011
Amidst the Arab spring, Hamas and Fateh came togather with the help of Egypt and signed an accord on April 27, 2011.

According to the deal, they have decided to hold elections to be conducted by a government comprising independents, and unite the West Bank and Gaza under one administration.

BEHIND THE ACCORD
The Palestinian people as well as Arabs have long been demanding for unity between both of the parties as the split had weakened the Palestinian struggle. To get a status of an sovereign state in upcoming UN session, it was imperative that both parties show a resemblence of unity.

Moreover, Hamas has almost lost its supporter Bashar al Asad in Syria while Fateh also suffered with the oust of Husni Mubarak. Both these factors urged the parties to come together.

The existence of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and the Fatah-controlled West Bank as two independent cantons has done tremendous harm to the Palestinian people`s struggle for achieving sovereignty on their soil. The split between the post-Arafat Fatah and Islamist Hamas followed the latter`s victory in the January 2006 parliamentary election. However, the elected government was never allowed to function.


INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The step was long overdue and welcomed in the Arab world however USA and Israel condemend the accord. israel said that "Fateh can have peace either with Israel or with Hamas". Israel confiscated the revenue share of $50 million which was to be given to Fateh.

when the Arab League, Iran and Russia decided to go to the PA`s help, western banks refused under pressure to undertake transactions.

[rose_pak]

What are the implications of this unity deal for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?

The Israeli government has been unequivocal in stating that it will not negotiate with a government that includes Hamas. Following a meeting with Quartet Envoy Tony Blair, Netanyahu released as statement calling on Abbas to reconsider the deal and “…choose the way of peace with Israel.”

It is a challenge for US and EU: both are now in the uncomfortable position of having to reconsider financial support for the Palestinian Authority, including millions of dollars the United States has spent to train and equip Palestinian security forces. In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Congress that the U.S. would not cooperate with the Palestinian Authority if it incorporated Hamas

Some degree of disagreement still exists: The Obama administration has reiterated that it considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization but, like the EU, has suggested that reconciliation would be welcome should it be on terms that can promote the cause of peace. So far, however, Hamas has shown no indication that it is willing to renounce its charter that calls for the destruction of Israel: a sine qua non for Israel considering it a tenable negotiation partner. Further, less than a week after the deal was announced, Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of Hamas’s Gaza government, condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden, characterizing bin Laden as a “true believer and martyr,” and describing the United States operation that killed him as a “…continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.” Underscoring the vast ideological differences that remain between Hamas and Fatah, President Abbas simultaneously hailed the killing as “good for the cause of peace.”

From President Abbas’s perspective, the unification now puts the Palestinians in a stronger position to push for a United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood come September as he has been pledging to do.

[m.furqan08]

Can we say that Hamas has accepted the Israel indirectly ?

[rose_pak]

Originally Posted by m.furqan08

Can we say that Hamas has accepted the Israel indirectly ?

I think we can say so. Hamas has accepted the unity deal along with other 12 factions. The main factor behind this deal is PA's aspiration to go to UNO this septermber for recognition of an independent state on 1967 level.

If Hamas signed the deal, which supports such a move in UNO, this means that Isreal, with prior to 1967 borders, is acceptable to Hamas.

[rose_pak]

ISRAEL AND US ON PALESTINE

Since Israel’s capture of the occupied territories in 1967 its leaders have been guided by their fear of American pressure to withdraw. Netanyahu went through much diplomatic handwringing with President Bill Clinton during his first term, in the late 1990s. He eventually caved in to Clinton’s demands, and was ousted by his right-wing coalition — ‘Bibi’ learned the lesson: don’t mess with your base or you’ll lose your seat.

When Netanyahu returned to power two years ago, his mission was complicated by the parallel rise of Obama: he reached out to Arabs and Muslims, and Netanyahu interpreted these overtures as selling Israel out. More fundamentally, the two leaders differ on values. To the US president, Israel’s occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem represent grave injustice. To Netanyahu, Jewish people have a birthright to the Judean and Samarian hills; at most, Israel should throw a bone to the Palestinians to satisfy its western supporters who, in Netanyahu’s view, simply don’t get it.

From their first meeting in May 2009, Netanyahu and Obama were on collision course. At first Obama appeared to have the upper hand. Netanyahu halted settlement expansion for 10 months. But with the Republican victory in the midterm elections, the tide turned. Bibi refused to extend the settlement moratorium, or negotiate the ‘core issues’ of borders, Jerusalem, and refugees.


NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Instead of pointlessly engaging Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas decided to pursue a UN resolution recognising Palestine. Obama cut his losses, keeping his envoy George Mitchell at home (Mitchell’s formal resignation was announced last weekend). Then, in January, came another switch in the plot: the Arab revolution. Where Obama saw freedom, democracy, and a new dawn, Netanyahu saw trouble, instability, and the possible rise of an Iran-next-door in Egypt.

But the Arab Spring has also brought opportunity for Israel. The uncertainty has drawn the US and Israel closer, regardless of the bad vibe between their leaders. Having lost two regional allies, Turkey and Egypt, Israel is more dependent on the US. With its Arab allies crumbling, the US needs Israel’s military to stand up to Iran and its proxies.

Against this backdrop Netanyahu felt safe enough to ‘play the base’. Rejecting pleas to announce an Israeli peace plan he entrenched in his old positions: the Arabs want to destroy Israel; Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas are incarnations of Hitler; any Israeli withdrawal would turn the West Bank into an Iranian rocket base.

The Palestinian Hamas-Fatah unity deal was a PR boon: ‘Bibi’ immediately announced the peace process over. And now, faced with growing isolation of Israel abroad, Netanyahu heads for Capitol Hill, thus sending a powerful message to Obama on the eve of his re-election campaign.

[m.furqan08]

RAMALLAH, West Bank — A high-profile meeting between the leaders of the rival Fatah and Hamas movements has been called off, Palestinian officials said Sunday, dealing a new setback to efforts by the two sides to end a bitter rift and form a unity government.

The announcement signaled the reconciliation agreement, announced last month at a festive ceremony in Egypt, could face deep trouble in the coming months as the sides try to implement the deal.
Tuesday’s meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal had been meant to finalize an agreement on who would be the prime minister of the new government. But officials on both sides acknowledge the gaps remained wide.

“It’s known that there are still differences,” said Azzam al-Ahmed, the chief Fatah negotiator. “We will be in contact over the coming days to agree on a new date.”

Abbas has proposed keeping his current prime minister, Salam Fayyad, in the post. Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist, is well respected internationally and seen as critical in persuading Western donor nations to continue funneling hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

The West has branded Hamas a terrorist organization, and in Fayyad’s absence, donors would want strict assurances that money is not reaching the group.

Although Fayyad is a political independent, Hamas says he is too closely allied with the West and must be replaced with a less identified figure. Some elements in Fatah also oppose Fayyad, believing his success in building up West Bank institutions has overshadowed Abbas.

Officials close to Fayyad said he is considering pulling himself out of the running. They said Fayyad feels that he is being used by both sides.

The officials spoke on condition anonymity because Fayyad has not made a final decision. It was not clear whether he was serious about withdrawing from consideration or trying to put pressure on the factions to approve his candidacy.

In Gaza, the prime minister of the Hamas government, Ismail Haniyeh, tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.

“This is an indication of the seriousness of the debate on the formation of the coming government and the divergence of views on the name of the next prime minister,” he said. “Therefore, the issue needs further discussion.”

The Egypt-brokered reconciliation agreement seeks to end the rift that has left the Palestinians divided between rival governments since Hamas overran the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Hamas rules Gaza and Abbas’ Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank. The Palestinians hope to establish a state in both territories, located on opposite sides of Israel, with east Jerusalem as the capital.

Under the deal, the factions pledged to form a single government comprised of apolitical technocrats to lead the Palestinians until elections next year.

Selecting a prime minister is just one of several issues likely to plague the reconciliation process in the coming months.

Hamas maintains a powerful army in Gaza and has made clear it has no intention of disarming its militia. Abbas has repeatedly said the Palestinians must have a unified security force to gain independence.

On Saturday Haniyeh said in a speech that a national security service could not cooperate with Israel. “A national strategy to defend the weapons of resistance must be established,” he said.

Abbas favors a negotiated peace deal with Israel, while Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

Israel has warned Abbas it will not negotiate with any Palestinian government that includes Hamas, and instead urged Abbas to resume peace talks.