An agreement between the Hamas and Fatah for a dialogue in April holds out the prospect of the two parties burying the hatchet and possibly working together. The Palestinian national movement was dealt a blow last year when fierce fighting, which broke out between Hamas and Fatah fighters, culminated in the Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip. This prompted President Mahmoud Abbas to sack the Hamas-led unity government.

Ever since, Gaza has remained under Hamas control. However, the Palestinian struggle for an independent state is now fragmented. The agreement between the Hamas and Fatah now holds out the promise of changing this situation. The agreement – the Sana’a Declaration – affirms the “unity of the Palestinian people, territory and authority”. It seeks to restore the status quo in the Gaza, prior to Hamas control and also to hold early elections and form a Hamas-Fatah unity government.

The Palestinians have greeted the agreement with some relief and scepticism. It appeared to be unravelling within hours of formalisation, with Hamas officials insisting that they would not relinquish Gaza, until there was an agreement on the future control of all Palestinian territories and the Palestinian Authority officials claiming that Fatah negotiators had not got their green signal before signing the agreement. Since several previous attempts at forging Hamas-Fatah unity have failed  therefore, the unity envisaged under the Sana’a Declaration too is likely to be doomed.

The Hamas and Fatah must now wake up to the fact that their rivalry and Palestinian disunity benefits only Israel. The longer they fight each other, the more distant a sovereign independent state of Palestine will become. The Fatah must realise that whatever its quarrels with the Hamas, the latter did win the mandate in the last elections. As for the Hamas, it is viewed as a terrorist organisation. The chances of it getting out of its international isolation will brighten if it agrees to join hands with the Fatah. The two parties have much to gain in working together. The process of reconciliation will not be easy as there are vested interests keen to keep the Palestinians divided. Still reconciliation is not impossible if they are willing to  try. While there are differences in their approach to dealing with Israel, these can be settled though negotiations.