Ever since Hamas came to power in democratic elections last January, the specter of internecine violence has haunted the Palestinian territories. Attempts over the past year to negotiate an agreement that would allow Hamas and Fatah to share power were interrupted by armed clashes, but many still held out hope that the two factions would eventually recognize the futility of their ways and arrive at some form of compromise.
However, this past week has seen a rapid degeneration from bad to worse: a series of gun battles, abductions and raids - occurrences which have become alarmingly common in the territories - culminated with officials from Hamas and Fatah issuing public threats to kill one another's leaders. The chasm between the two factions has never been wider, and the leaders of both parties are to blame for dragging their population to the brink of civil war.
| But instead of acting like elected representatives and serving the interests of their public, Palestinian leaders are behaving like rival gang chiefs and are dragging their entire population into a deadly and pointless street war. |
In fairness, the situation in the Occupied Territories can be attributed to a long list of factors over which Palestinian leaders have little or no control. These include the crippling embargo that was imposed after the elections produced results that were unacceptable to Western nations, Arab leaders' systematic neglect and exploitation of the Palestinians' plight, the crushing of civil society and state institutions that occurred during the rule of late President Yasser Arafat, and the chaos, misery and destitution wrought by decades of oppressive Israeli occupation. But acknowledging the role that these and other factors may have played in creating the current crisis does not absolve Palestinian leaders of their share of responsibility. On the contrary, as elected representatives, the leaders of Hamas and Fatah have a greater responsibility than anyone else to act in the interests of the Palestinian people.
But instead of acting like elected representatives and serving the interests of their public, Palestinian leaders are behaving like rival gang chiefs and are dragging their entire population into a deadly and pointless street war. The leaders of both parties have witnessed the death and destruction that have resulted from their unwillingness to share power, yet they remain utterly inflexible and unwilling to compromise. Palestinian leaders, who are now more threatened by each other than they are by the menace of Israeli assassinations, have become their own worst enemies. And they will be to blame if the fruits of their leadership - violence - prevent the Palestinian people from achieving their aspirations. |