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With the recent decree by Mahmoud Abbas to hold Palestinian general and presidential elections later this year, the issue of Palestinian political unity comes back to the surface. Abbas, who is 85 years old, is in the 16th year of his four-year term and presides over a population divided into several territories and under different political forces.
While distrust and division are nothing new in Palestinian history, it seems that with each passing year Palestinians lose more hope of a solution. Hamas, the terrorist organization ruling Gaza, remains stubborn, polarizing and popular while Fatah and Abbas maintain their monopoly over power in the West Bank. After several rounds of talks between the two factions in Doha, Ankara and Cairo, the situation shows no sign of progress towards reconciliation or cohesion. Fatah announced last week that Abbas is to remain its candidate, making it obvious that not much change is to be expected. Despite the possibility of significant rivalry from other members of Fatah, namely Mohamed Dahlan—who is close to the rising center of Arab power in Abu Dhabi—and Marwan Barghouti—a terrorist mastermind currently in an Israeli prison—many remain profoundly skeptical of any meaningful potential for political change.
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