Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Hamas and Fatah meet to talk about uniting

There was some discussion about what it would take for Palestinians and those who share the same views to gain some political leverage in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Recently the two political parties Hamas and Fatah who have so far been in heavy competition are having talks about Gaza's Future. As the article mentions, with any form of Hamas in the picture with government with a united two parties, official dialogue with the Israeli government would be pretty much impossible. Also talking with the EU and US could be problematic still if the new coalition is too Hamas-led. With possibly the same limited international governmental dialogue and a stronger Palestinian authority - is this a step back or a step forward for the region? What do you guys think?
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3 comments:

  1. StephenMarch 11, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    It is my opinion that a unified coalition representative of the Palestinian people is a prerequisite for effective diplomacy between Israel and Palestine. So, the efforts to unify Hamas and Fatah taking place in Egypt, especially after the recent resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, are a step in the right direction for the region. If the divided Palestinian political representation to Israel and the entire international community is in fact working to develop cooperation, this seems to be a positive step forward despite Israel's hesitancy regarding diplomacy with Hamas related leaders.

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  2. marisaMarch 12, 2009 at 9:58 PM

    I agree with Stephen that a more unified Palestinian voice is a step forward. However, I think that this will be useless without strengthening the international government dialogue. Even if the Palestinian voice becomes stronger, not much can be accomplished without diplomacy-- something Hamas will have to really work on if they're serious about peace.

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  3. lcullenwardMarch 13, 2009 at 4:40 PM

    I agree as well with a unified Palestinian voice, and even a larger pro-Palestinian force in peace talks with the inclusion of other Arab states. However, as the article stated, as long as the Palestinian government is linked with Hamas, which in turn links it to terrorism, the international community will not respond well to its demands. I think that if Fatah and Hamas are really as close as the article says they are in terms of government ideology then maybe Hamas could step down from the limelight. Fatah and Hamas should continue negotiations, but perhaps a resolution could be reached between the two groups, and Palestine could let it appear to be Fatah run. I have this impression that international diplomacy and politics in general has a lot to do with appearance, of who seems to hold the power. Maybe if Hamas had its demands met by Fatah and stepped back out of the public eye it would facilitate international dialogue. I don't know if this is feasible but at least it might ease discussions.

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