Highlights
– Fatah-linked bombing in Gaza led to widespread arrests of Fatah supporters in the West Bank
– Fatah retaliated by arresting Hamas supporters in the West Bank
– Violence between the factions led to the deaths of more than 20 individuals in one week
– Fighting between the two sides will subside in the coming weeks, giving way to renewed talk of dialogue
A car bombing on July 25, 2008 that killed five Hamas members and a six year-old girl sparked the largest bout of violence in the Palestinian Territories since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The car bombing was allegedly carried out by members of the Hilles clan, a large, powerful family in Gaza Strip with strong ties to Fatah. The attack sparked a crackdown on Fatah affiliated persons in the Gaza, which led to retaliatory “tit-for-tat” arrests in the West Bank.
The conflict peaked on August 2, 2008 when an attempt to arrest suspects in the bombing at a member of the Hilles clan’s home in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaia resulted in a large gun battle. At least nine people were killed, including as many as eight members of the Hilles family, and more than 100 wounded in the firefight. Thirty of the 181 members of the Hilles family who fled the fighting into Israel on August 2, 2008 were returned to Gaza on August 3rd. Eighty-eight of the members were transported to the West Bank town of Jericho on August 4th, and the remaining refugees are currently being treated for their wounds in Israel.
Though fighting between the two factions has escalated in the past week, neither side is eager to engage in a full-scale military offense. Therefore, the fighting will likely subside in the coming days with renewed talk of dialogue.
Palestinian Peace Talks
Only one month ago the future looked ripe for the initiation of peace talks between the Fatah and Hamas Palestinian factions. Today, it appears the two factions are as far from reaching a compromise over the future governance of the Gaza Strip as they were a year ago. Once again, Hamas proved the stronger of the two security forces, leaving Fatah gunmen turning to Israel to ensure their safety.
However, Palestinian Authority President and Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas indicated his surviving interest in dialogue when he requested Israel to return 30 members of the Hilles clan to the Gaza Strip—who were subsequently arrested by Hamas. Showing signs of easing tensions, Hamas and Fatah both released detainees on August 4, 2008 who were not charged with a criminal offense, including senior Fatah leader Zakaria al-Agha.
Egypt has been an instrumental intermediary between the two sides since collapse of the power-sharing government. The two factions were extended an invitation to Cairo for peace talks in June 2008, but both sides are reluctant to accept the invitation (Previous Report). Other Arab initiatives to coax the two sides into dialogue, including the Yemen initiative have also fallen short of agreement.
Future Outlook
In the coming weeks, the recent escalation of violence between the two factions will likely give way to renewed talk of dialogue. Despite grandiose threats by both sides, neither Fatah nor Hamas are anxious to engage in a full-scale conflict.
• For Hamas, a large-scale confrontation with Fatah could result in a loss of support amongst its constituents in the Gaza Strip, as well as a crippling Israeli imposed blockade.
• For Fatah, wide-scale violence would signal to its Israeli counterparts its inability to implement peace agreements reached at the negotiating table.
• Israel, for its part, recognizes that Fatah will be incapable of fulfilling its obligations to a proposed peace treaty without the support of its Hamas counterpart.
Therefore, though Fatah is not expected to open simultaneous dialogue with Hamas and Israel, the two factions will likely keep the option of reaching a compromise and forming a power-sharing government on the table for the long-term.