By Stan Goodenough
Aug 05, 2007
Now that Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month has successfully served to kick-start the long-stalled land-for-peace process, with fresh efforts underway to create a Palestinian state on Jewish lands, Fatah and Hamas are talking about re-establishing their unity government.
While there is no proof that the Hamas putsch was a ploy - if it was, it was a very bloody one - the "Palestinians" are expected to be thrilled at the unexpected fruits it has reaped them in the diplomatic arena.
Immediately after PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah forces were hammered and driven out of Gaza, the Olmert government and the Bush administration leaped to "seize the moment" and bolster Abbas.
Among the benefits secured by he PLO/PA chief have been the release by Israel of hundreds of terrorists, the offer of amnesty to hundreds more, the release of tens of millions of dollars in confiscated tax funds, the distribution to PA forces of thousands of rifles and hundreds of thousands of bullets, the removal of an unspecified number of security checkpoints in the "West Bank" and the granting of permission for some "Palestinians" in Iraq to be reunited with their relatives in Samaria and Judea.
The biggest plum, however, is the renewed commitment by US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to virtually hand Abbas his "Palestine" on a plate.
With the pace picking up towards the realization of their goal, Hamas and Fatah are now reportedly talking about getting back together again, with senior security officials on both sides having held meetings in the past few days.
Wrote The Jerusalem Post:
"The Palestinian Ma'an news agency had reported earlier Friday that the organizations were holding secret talks aimed at solving internal Palestinian instability. According to the news agency, the aim of the negotiations was to reestablish the Palestinian Authority unity government that crumbled several weeks ago."
A Fatah spokesman later denied these reports, saying Abbas had decided that he alone should hold any such talks with Hamas.
Observers expect however, that more reports will be circulating soon indicating that the "Palestinians" are patching themselves back up.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have let Abbas know that a return to "Palestinian unity" is essential if the Arabs are to realize their dream of birthing "Palestine."