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Hamas and Fatah - the political parties that divide Palestine
- Zach
- Nov 3, 2022
- 2 min read
A deeper look into the conflicts and inner politics that represent the Palestinian people.
By Jake Austin, 17 August 2021
The Palestinian Legislative Council, 2007
The future of Palestine relies upon its elected representatives, and any occasion where Israel meets with Palestine will be sure to filter through said representatives. However, two political parties dating to the 1970s, Hamas and Fatah, continue their rivalry. The international standing of the people and the ability to continue their cause for an independent state hangs in the balance every day, only exacerbated by the violence earlier this year.
The current recognized president of Palestine -Mahmoud Abbas- is a member of the Fatah party. His party can date their origin to the late 1950, when displaced Palestinians including Yasser Arafat. Fatah led violent movements against Israel for decades before undergoing a dramatic shift in the 1970s and 80s. The new Fatah successfully renounced violent means for political gain and backed United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which calls for building a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders (all of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza), alongside an Israeli state. The PLO (organization led by Fatah) signed the Oslo Accords 1in 1995, resulting in the recognition of the Israeli state by Fatah and the recognition of a new Palestinian Authority by the international community.
Hamas, however, is the current leading party of the Palestinian Authority and has clashed with Fatah at various points. Its history is far shorter, dating to the First Intifada, a violent uprising against the Israeli state that resulted in the deaths of many innocent Jews. Over the following years, Hamas killed reporters and engaged in suicide bombing ventures. Members of Fatah were even targeted when tensions between the two groups grew. The United States, Israel, and the EU have all recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization, but further attempts to solidify that label in the UN have been blocked.
In 2017, Hamas and Fatah met and Hamas made many concessions to continue its operations in the elected body of Palestine. They denounced the Muslim Brotherhood and conceded that an independent Palestine on 1967 borders would be agreeable. However, the unification of the two parties stalled. In recent history, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay in the elections, Hamas has the majority in the Authority, and may wield it to block further peace talks.
The story of Palestine is one where violent resistance and diplomacy are at odds, along with Islam and secularism, compromise and fight. The dynamic and history between Hamas and Fatah remains relevant and their further actions may well create or destroy the possibility of peace.
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