Just a year into their formation, the Palestinian unity government, made up of members of both Fatah and Hamas and meant to give way to the first free elections in the occupied territories since 2006, collapsed today with President Abbas accepting the prime minister’s resignation, and charging him with former a new, Fatah-centric government.
Fatah officials indicated the split was largely because of the revelation that Hamas had been negotiating indirectly with Israel through EU and Turkish mediators toward extending the ceasefire that ending last summer’s Gaza War, though officially the story is simply their inability to exert control over the strip.
And despite claims from the leadership that everyone agreed the government needed to resign, Hamas insists their faction within the government wasn’t even informed of the decision until after it had already been announced publicly.
Fatah and Hamas have never seen eye-to-eye, but the 2006 electoral victory for Hamas sealed a long-term split, with Abbas choosing (amid Western and Israeli pressure) to ignore the results and factional fighting leaving Hamas in control of Gaza, and Fatah in control of the few self-governed parts of the West Bank. This led to an Israeli blockade of the strip, and several invasions of it.
The unity government was supposed to cap this near-decade split and install a new elected government in short order, though Israeli outrage with the decision stalled the effort, and it appears at this point they’re just giving up on it.
Sounds familiar. The US doesn't like it and causes trouble when Egyptians, Ukrainians, etc. elect someone it doesn't want–the israelis don't like it and cause trouble when the Palestinians elect someone the israelis don't want.
To Jason Ditz: If you are going to farm the writing of these articles to an intern it might serve you better to read what they write and publish UNDER YOUR NAME. The article above sounds more like something someone might produce who is completely unfamiliar with the English language – except from what they might pickup from video games. It is so bad it is difficult to read.
Personally, I'd be embarrassed – but that's just this old Curmudgeon's opinion.
To — curmudgeonvt
As all of your comments are filled with anger, hostility and belligerence, surely FoxNews is where you should be posting.
For our goal is a friendly place where the anti-war people can have some mutual support, surely the reverse of your self-evident agenda.