(Council on Foreign Relations) Elliott Abrams - One immediate effect of a unity agreement between Hamas and Fatah would be a new PA cabinet in which Salam Fayyad would no longer be prime minister. Fayyad's presence has meant, first, transparency and a struggle against corruption. His departure almost guarantees that the integrity of the PA's books and finances will decline. But Fayyad also oversees the security forces. With Fayyad gone, it is predictable that the PA services, including the American-trained police, will become more corrupt and more political. At a deeper level, a unity agreement would bring Hamas into the PLO and thereby compromise the PA's and PLO's commitment to fight terrorism and seek a Palestinian state without violence.
2011-12-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive