(Atlantic) Grant Rumley - Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and the Islamist terror group Hamas, which wrested control of Gaza in a civil war in 2007, have waged a low-intensity conflict for over a decade. Between flare-ups, the two have often announced various unity agreements, none of which have led to actual national harmony. It's all cosmetic at this point. Neither side will be able to bridge the ideological divide or forget their blood-soaked history anytime soon. If actual unity was possible, the two Palestinian factions would have likely found the formula in their six previous agreements. The reality is that Hamas is unlikely to ever give up military control over Gaza. The latest announcement is just another move in a decade-long game of chess where everyday Palestinians continue to pay the price. The writer is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2017-09-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive