Fatah , after years of being the leading party in Palestinian politics, has found itself in a position it is unaccustomed to. For years, the party of Yasser Arafat did what it liked and allowed only marginal roles for groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) . But, the old days have been squandered, and a return to them is unlikely. With Hamas positioned to win a huge bloc of seats in the July 17 legislative election, Fatah had Mahmoud Abbas postpone the election until Fatah could undertake some damage control with the voters.

Not only did Fatah have to postpone the election, but now they have had to give Hamas and PIJ a role at the table as part of a National Commission coordinating the pullout with Israel . While these groups will not be dealing with the Israelis on issues related to the pullout of settlers, they have positioned themselves to be at the Palestinian table to reap the spoils left behind.