Palestinian unity — an essential prerequisite for credible Middle East peace talks — remains a chimera. Yet we must welcome the apparent backdown by the leaders of the murderous Hamas terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip’s two million people. They have declared a willingness to dissolve their own shadow government and open talks with Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group, which administers the West Bank. This is a sign that some form of Palestinian unity could still become a reality. Such a development would be crucial because until the Palestinians can produce a united, credible and democratically elected leadership to deal with the Israelis in negotiations for a two-state solution, their aspirations for statehood will remain unfulfilled.
Though he is lionised as head of the Palestinian Authority, which some governments have short-sightedly accorded diplomatic recognition, Mr Abbas’s own contested position reflects the deep divisions. The last Palestinian election was in 2006, when Hamas won a surprise victory that created the deep rift. Mr Abbas is now 12 years into the four-year term to which he was elected, his tenure extended only because unbridgeable Palestinian disunity has prevented new elections being held.
Read the full editorial at The Australian.