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34 Fletcher F. World Aff. 35 (2010)
The Hamas - Fatah Conflict: Shallow but Wide

handle is hein.journals/forwa34 and id is 187 raw text is: The Hamas-Fatah Conflict: Shallow but Wide NATHANJ. BROWN International attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict tends to highlight major diplomatic initiatives and dramatic events while neglecting concrete developments, subtle trends, and grinding practical realities. Emphasis on the peace process has created an illusion that the two iden- tifiable antagonists could come to a clear agreement on a two-state solu- tion. But the widening division in the Palestinian ranks-between Hamas and Fatah, and between the West Bank and Gaza-remains unaddressed. The international community, and particularly Israel, seems to hope that punishing economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation will simply make Hamas disappear and render Gaza more pliable or even irrelevant. The Palestinian division, however, prevents the Palestinians from speaking with one voice, much less acting in a coherent manner. This rift would vitiate any diplomatic breakthrough that might occur between Israel and the Palestinians in resolving, or even managing, the conflict. When Hamas and Fatah fought their brief but bitter civil war in June 2007, the outcome was short of Solomonic: the object of contention, the Palestinian Authority (PA), was actually split in two. The grim reality is that the Palestinians now have two political systems that are moving further away from each other, and neither seems to have a viable strategy for realizing its vision or building a better future for the people it purports to lead. International diplomatic initiatives have proved ephemeral and dismissive of the widening chasm, which is profoundly distressing to most Nathan J. Brown is a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. He is also currently a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. VOL.34:2 SUMMER ZOIO

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