Gaza Strip/West Bank – ripped apart
Saturday, 01 Mar 2008 00:00
Can George Bush's plan for peace be realised?
After months of violent fighting finished off the unity government, the Palestinian peoples were effectively divided in two in 2007.
The search for compromise
Following militant group Hamas' unexpected win in the Palestinian elections of January 2006, tensions between moderate president Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Ismael Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister, became institutionalised. The international community, punishing Hamas for its association with terrorist activity against Israel, imposed crippling sanctions on the Palestinian people in an attempt to force compromise between the two factions.
Dashed optimism
After the establishment of a ceasefire between Palestinians and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, some of the pressure on Mr Abbas began to ease. But outbreaks of fighting in December 2006 and January 2007 saw simmering rivalries escalate, and the eventual ceasefire announced on January 30th was meeting with some trepidation by observers.
Fatah spokesperson Maher Mekdad said: "Despite all the bitterness and sadness that we are feeling, we will work to make it succeed."
The unity government
His optimism initially proved well-founded, despite the initial truce being broken on February 1st when ten people were killed. After four more days of gun battles, amid reports that Israeli forces were considering an incursion into Gaza, talks on the formation of a unity government recommenced. Agreement was finally reached on February 9th.
As part of the deal, Mr Haniyeh remained prime minister of the country but several important positions were outsourced to independent candidates.
News of the Saudi-brokered deal signed in Mecca was met in the Gaza Strip with celebrations and on March 17th the new government, featuring nine posts for Hamas and six for Fatah, was sworn in. It would survive just three months.
Collapse
On May 13th fighting broke out again in Gaza, killing seven people. The crisis was intensified by the resignation of interior minister Hani Kawasmeh, who complained he was not being given enough "authority" to deal with the situation.
From then on Mr Haniyeh's office assumed Mr Kawasmeh's duties, but the task he faced in keeping the gunmen apart was to prove too much for him and his counterpart Mr Abbas.
Numerous attempts to draw up ceasefire agreements only highlighted the complete inability of political leaders to control events on the ground.
After the first week of internecine conflict, in which at least 50 people died, the situation was made worse by Israel beginning aerial bombardments into Gaza in response to rocket attacks on Israeli territory.
The attacks continued and Israeli troops seized a Fatah spokesman in a raid on Nablus on May 30th.
Following the passing of a deadline set by Hamas on Fatah to relinquish control over the Palestinian security forces, gunmen launched a fresh wave of attacks on June 12th. Mr Haniyeh's home came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire as fighting escalated to its final climax.
A divided Palestine
By June 14th Hamas had taken control of the Gaza Strip, with over 100 fatalities in the final week of fighting. Mr Abbas responded by sacking the Hamas-led government and declaring a state of emergency.
Three days later he announced a new government as, back in the West Bank, Fatah consolidated their hold over Hamas. Mr Haniyeh dismissed the new administration, saying he would work to bring law and order to the region.
Israel and the international community responded positively to the new cabinet, restoring aid to the Fatah-controlled West Bank after an 18-month hiatus and agreeing to the release of 250 prisoners.
While the outcome was good for those in Ramallah and elsewhere on the West Bank, the situation in Gaza became even bleaker. Israel resumed its air strikes, killing seven Palestinians in three airstrikes in 24 hours to July 1st.
Aid agencies feared the Gaza Strip was now more isolated than ever before. As US president George Bush began to talk of a return to the roadmap for peace between Israel and Mr Abbas' government, the new danger was that the suffering of those living under ongoing aid embargoes in Gaza would be forgotten.
Alex Stevenson