The Egyptian-mediated internal Palestinian dialogue between Hamas and Fatah involves a variety of issues, including security and elections, all of which affect the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
The unity document currently being discussed is primarily a symbolic presentation of the topics for deliberation between the two. The actual reconciliation conditions are to be discussed after the document is signed, at which point the chances of reaching agreement would be very low. In the short term, the main winner would then be Hamas, which would gain legitimacy. Lately, though, it is Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas who has been pushing to sign in view of the decline in his standing following a series of gaffs, including his pointless meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his handling of the Goldstone report.
Still, the real test is in the long term. Supporters of reconciliation argue justifiably that if the desire for West Bank-Gazan unity exists then the current bipolar reality cannot continue. They add that without Palestinian unity, Abbas does not enjoy the legal and moral authority to make decisions about an agreement with Israel. They also point to the absence of genuine parliamentary activity in view of the de-facto split between two parliaments, neither of which actually functions. Then too, the Fatah leadership is in real danger in Gaza, as is the Hamas leadership in the West Bank.
Yet a broader assessment appears to indicate that an agreement reached in accordance with the current known parameters and implemented to the letter would serve first and foremost the interests of Hamas. It would mean the isolation of the Palestinian Authority, a potential Hamas takeover of the West Bank and a mortal blow to the possibility of Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. Accordingly, there must be a different way to achieve Palestinian unity.
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