by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Dec. 18, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

pening fire on each other, Palestine's bitter political rivals Hamas and Fatah began what amounts to the ultimate battle for sovereign control. Power sharing hasn't worked, with Hamas unwilling to compromise or accept prior agreements, including the 1993 Oslo Accords, recognizing Israel's right to exist in exchange for ceding territory to establish and independent Palestinian state. Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas can't convince Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to abandon his armed struggle against Israel, accepting $250 million from Iran to help the battle with the Jewish state. What makes the situation in Palestine so disturbing—and yet so promising—is that most Palestinians come from the same tribe. Today's internecine warfare isn't about ethnicity or religion: It's about the political future. Abbas and Haniyeh offer starkly competing pictures of Palestine's future.

      Haniyeh promises a return to Jerusalem through armed struggle, believing that a war of attrition can return Palestinians to their rightful homes. What he fails to mention is that only a small fraction of the Palestinian Diaspora come from territory inside the modern state of Israel. Whether admitted to or not, most Palestinians come from Jordan, Egypt and Syria, none of which offered Palestinians one inch of territory before Israel annexed the land following the 1967 war. Were it not for Israel's spoils of war, Palestinians would have no claim to any real estate in the West Bank, Gaza or the Golan Heights. When Hamas came to power last January, Palestinians voted out Yasser Arafat's old regime, due to years of corruption and mismanagement. Active in charitable work, Hamas convinced Palestinians that armed conflict would yield better results than established diplomacy.

      Fed up with Arafat's failures, Palestinians believed things couldn't get worse under Hamas. Only recently they've found out otherwise. Recognized as a terrorist group by Western powers, Hamas has refused to join the international community, finding a solution to the Palestinian question by recognizing Israel's right to exist. Instead of increasing clout and bargaining power, Haniyeh has caused the West to cut off aid, driving thousands of government workers into unemployment and chaos. Hamas had no regard for the hardship of its people, preferring to rant against Israel, applauding the great success of Hezbollah, an Iranian/Syrian-backed terror group, celebrating its “victory” over Israel. Nearly one month of conflict displaced thousands, decimated infrastructure and set Lebanon back 25-years, all to allow Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah to claim “victory.”

      Palestinians now find the people fighting among themselves to decide the fate of the peace process. Many feel so disenfranchised they'd rather be at war than live in the sordid conditions in the Palestinian territories. Former President Jimmy Carter caused an uproar with this new book, “Palestine: Peace or apartheid, blaming Israel for creating what amounts to intolerable conditions. Arafat's forty-years of mismanagement and corruption didn't help improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians. Arafat became a billionaire fleecing Western aid intended to help lift Palestinians out of abysmal poverty, now reaching the boiling point in otherwise “peaceful” Ramallah. Carter sells more books blaming Israel, rather than face the inescapable fact that Palestinians are at war with both Israel and themselves. When Israel's out of the crosshairs, Palestinians lash out at each other.

      When Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar's motorcade came under Fatah fire Sunday, Hamas retaliated, hitting the training camp for Abbas's Presidential Guards with bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. “We have intentions about [stopping] the fighting. It is now up to the other side to also stop fighting,” said Tawfik Abu Khoussa, a Fatah official, concerned that an escalation could lead to all-out civil war. Abbas has threatened to call early elections to end the stalemate with Hamas, forcing voters to take sides. Last January, voters decided on Hamas, not knowing that its radical approach would result in a cutoff of Western aid. “We confirm that the Palestinian [Hamas] government refuses the invitation to early elections because it is unconstitutional and cause tension among Palestinians,” said Haniyeh, signaling Hamas would not capitulate without a fight.

      Palestinians' worst enemy is the internecine warfare between Fatah and Hamas. Haniyeh derives his support from young radicals still believing that armed struggle is the best way back to Jerusalem. Experienced politicians like Abbas know beating Israel is a dangerous pipedream, causing untold suffering to well-intentioned Palestinians looking for a better way of life. Jimmy Carter can't have it both ways: Blaming Israel for causing Palestinian misery, and, at the same time, ignoring Hamas's self-destructive propensities. Calling for early elections, Abbas hopes to give Palestinians a second chance to come to their senses after watching Hamas blow a golden opportunity. Abbas hopes voters realize that armed struggle is a dead end. While Abbas hopes for a unity government, Haniyeh seeks to radicalize Palestinians and consolidate his power at whatever price

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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