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No Foreseeable Gaza-West Bank Reconciliation

(London School of Economics) Ahmad Samih Khalidi - Ever since its 2007 putsch (or pre-emptive counter-putsch), Hamas in Gaza has been systematically building the basis of its Islamist-inspired authority, all mutually pious and insincere words about national reconciliation with the PA/PLO in Ramallah notwithstanding. As Hamas has consolidated its rule, there are almost no foreseeable circumstances in which it is going to relinquish its control of the Strip in favor of the PA/PLO in Ramallah - or vice versa. In short, the chances of a single Palestinian umbrella, unified polity or political entity are fading with each passing day. The consequences of this alter the whole shape and contour of the Palestinian national project. If Gaza is subtracted from the West Bank, then the entire concept of a Palestinian state changes: its demographic weight and population, its access to the sea, its borders. An irreversible secession in Gaza means that the remaining area of dispute between Israel and Palestinians is the West Bank, and with this, the influence of Jordan's gravitational pull on the West Bank gets stronger, as does Egypt's influence on Gaza. The writer, a senior associate member of St. Antony's College, Oxford, is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Palestine Studies.
2013-06-03 00:00:00
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