Fatah and Hamas Make the Pilgrimage to Mecca: Toward National Unity or Civil War?
By David Schenker
Tomorrow (February 6), Hamas and Fatah leaders are slated to meet in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to discuss the escalating intra-Palestinian violence in the Palestinian Authority (PA). A meeting in Saudi had been rumored for some time, but the parties finally agreed to meet after the most recent ceasefire deteriorated, resulting in a bloody weekend of kidnappings and violence in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian press, among those scheduled to travel to Mecca include: Syrian-based Hamas leaders Khalid Mashal and Musa Abu Marzouk, PA Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyyeh, and Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al Zahar, as well as the PA’s Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), his advisor Nabil Amro, and Fatah’s PA Security Chief in Gaza Muhammed Dahlan.
With the exception of Syria and Iran, all the key players will be present in Mecca. Still, prospects for “success”—i.e., reaching agreement on a ceasefire and on establishment of a Palestinian national unity government—are indeterminate.
At a press conference yesterday in Damascus, Khalid Mashal urged Hamas and Fatah to avert bloodshed and exercise self control: “dialogue is the only way to solve the political differences,” he said, “Palestinian blood is off limits.” He added “we are all confident that we will succeed [in Mecca]…The situation does not accommodate failure.”
Whether Mashal’s comments reflect a growing Hamas concern about developments in Gaza or his statements were merely pre-meeting propaganda, is open to debate. Until recently, Mashal opposed accommodation such as a Fatah-Hamas deal and/or the return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Instead, he apparently preferred to undermine both Abu Mazen and Haniyyeh by pushing for an even harder-line Hamas policy.
Perhaps the increased internecine violence and fears of civil war have spurred a change in Hamas policy. More likely, though, what we are seeing is a tactical shift by Hamas. Hamas is essentially adapting to Fatah’s unanticipated strong reaction to the Hamas political power play. Now that Fatah has essentially raised the stakes in Gaza, Hamas has been left with some unpalatable choices. For Hamas, a trip to Mecca, an enduring ceasefire, and the prospect of a national unity government is relatively benign exit from the current crisis.