Will unity of the two Palestinian factions stand the test of time?

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury The two leaders of the Palestinian factions- Fatah and Hamas-have recently met in Cairo to strengthen their fragile unity in the face of new challenges coming from Israel and its main ally, the United States. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who is also the president of Fatah, and chief of Hamas Khaled Meshal met in the Egyptian capital for two hours and both sides were upbeat about the progress of the talks. The rival factions earlier fought bitterly for leadership and even clashed against each other, causing utter dismay among well-wishers of the Palestinian cause. However, several months ago the two factions sought to narrow down their differences and work together for the common interest. Fatah is known for its liberal stance, while Hamas for its hard-line policy towards Israel. However, the broad unity often runs into trouble and it is against this backdrop, the two sides again sat for delicate parleys. It appears that the Cairo talks went off fairly well and it is hoped that the unity will be maintained even as chances of disruption also loom large. The woes of the Palestinians seem to know no bounds. There appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel! Yet, it is a noble cause, which is bound to triumph no matter when it would see the light of the day. Only seldom in the history of contemporary times, such causes have died down. For, the nobility of the cause is so enormous both from political and ethical points of view that it needs to win regardless of the fact how long it would take for fruition. Nevertheless, the Palestinian issue has once again come to the fore of international attention with conflicting positions on the subject in the current session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), as the UN membership of an independent Palestinian state has now been formally raised. On the other hand, opposition to the proposal is also being watched closely by the international community and powerful quarters are active to scuttle the effort. Indeed, it is a sad spectacle that the long spell of sufferings of these people is unfortunately getting longer despite support by the overwhelmingly majority of the comity of nations. Earlier, Mahmoud Abbas set at rest all speculations by raising the demand of UN membership of the Palestine state in the current 66th session of the UNGA and the matter is raising a lot of the dust in the international scene. Not unexpectedly, Israel, the nemesis of the Palestinians, is opposing the issue tooth-and-nail and sadly, the world's only superpower-- the United States (US) - is also broadly echoing the same and in the process the Palestinian cause is being seriously hampered. The US, a long time ally of Israel, has not caused any surprise by its support to the Israel position, but certainly has poured cold water on expectations of a realistic role being played by the country in the effort towards finding a lasting solution. Why has the US adopted somewhat of a "volte face" position as regards the Palestinian issue? Is it the upcoming US presidential elections in which President Barack Obama will be seeking to be re-elected and the strong Jewish lobby that influenced heavily for a change in the stance? It is quite understandable that the US would not espouse the Palestinian cause because of its "unshakeable bonds" with Israel for many years, but it is plausible to think that Washington would adopt a policy that would help reach an amicable settlement of this Middle East problem that has so far proved intractable. Needless to say, the US as the only remaining superpower, with considerable influence on Tel Aviv, can definitely strike a deal that would ensure that the fundamentals of the both warring sides - the Palestinians and Israel are protected. The Palestinians have by and large accepted the reality of the existence of Israel as a sovereign state even though the hard-line factions still find it difficult to reconcile with this situation. The prospects of Palestinian recognition as a UN member state looks difficult as the US has belied expectations by taking a tough stance along with Israel against the UN membership of the independent Palestinian state. The Obama administration is considered to be lenient on the issue compared to the previous Republican President George Bush, as it appeared more reasonable in finding a just solution. President Barack Obama's significant speech in Cairo University, a short time after taking office, and his assertion later that the boundaries of pre-1967 Arab-Israel war should form the basis of the future Palestinian state bear ample testimony to this willingness of the US for a more realistic role in the search for a solution to this Middle East tangle. Besides, the administration also made painstaking efforts in re-launching of the ME peace talks after a long gap between Israel and the Palestinian authority that, however, collapsed afterwards as Tel Aviv began new Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab lands and West Bank. But what is being witnessed now in the UNGA as far as the role of the US is disappointing to say the least. It has carefully departed from the earlier position by supporting by and large Tel Aviv's position on the issue even though Washington says that it supports the bid of the Palestinians for UN membership, but not at the present stage as it is "premature". The question is - when it would be mature in the eye of the US and those who consider the issue from the same prism? Undoubtedly, the "veto" power by the US, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, can scuttle any effort of the Palestinians for UN membership, but is it going to help world peace and stability? Will the Palestinian people not get the dream fulfilled for which they are longing for many decades? Is it a sin to seek an independent state in their own homeland? The granting of the full membership by the UNESCO to Palestine came as a boost for the Palestinians and clearly this has annoyed Tel Aviv and Washington. The successful talks between the Fatah and Hamas factions have come as another boon for the Palestinian cause. However, such unity is vulnerable as proved in the past and the two factions will be well-advised to maintain their broad unity - some differences notwithstanding - for the greater interest of the Palestinian cause. Email: zaglulbss@yahoo.com