The peace process in Israel that had been reinvigorated for the last nine months has reached a new dead end now that Fatah and Hamas have made a unity agreement. A senior Palestinian official said recently that the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas does not signal an end to the peace process and that “any agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel will include the Gaza Strip.” The official is claiming that the agreement will be a positive step in the direction of a peace agreement with Israel. “This provides an answer to all those in Israel who claimed you could not reach a peace agreement as long as the PA did not control Gaza,” the source said. Officials in the Israeli government initially stated that the reconciliation move by Abbas indicated the end of the peace process.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the government’s chief negotiator, said the agreement was a “very problematic development which harms peace talks. In light of the new situation, Israel must examine its implications, and consider its next steps accordingly.” But other officials in Jerusalem were not convinced that the reconciliation effort was sincere. “You need to wait and see what happens now,” said one Israeli source. “We have seen such moves in the past; it may all be a charade.”
Dore Gold, who is considered a close personal advisor of President Netanyahu called the agreement between Hamas and Fatah a game changer. He said, “Hamas is recognized by the world as an international terrorist organization; by the European Union, by the United States, by Canada and many others. And PA head Mahmoud Abbas has been working very hard with Secretary of State John Kerry, as our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has worked hard, and all of a sudden, it seems that in the last month, Abbas just simply does not want a negotiated solution. He said ‘no’ to President Obama. He said ‘no’ to even discussing with Israel in the future the possibility of them recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people—we’re asked to recognize a Palestinian state—and now he turns to hug Hamas. He wants a deal with Hamas and doesn’t want peace, and that’s a tragic development.”
“While the PA can hire some suits to talk about making peace, Hamas is in the back room controlling things,” he explained.
Asked if the peace process is dead, Gold said it is still possible to revive the process, but only if Abbas pulls back from the deal with Hamas. “He cannot embrace Hamas and say that he’s for peace with Israel. It’s a contradiction in terms.”
It became clear though from comments by President Netanyahu, supported by officials in the US State Department, that peace talks were off for now. As part of the agreement signed in Gaza, Palestinian officials will begin consultations on forming an interim unity government this month. Elections for the presidency, the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the Palestinian National Council will take place six months after a government is formed. The Israeli government will not continue the peace process with a Palestinian organization that includes Hamas, and this unity agreement between Palestinian factions will be seen as the direct cause for the latest peace talks’ failure. President Netanyahu, speaking said “It’s a blow to Israel; it’s a blow to peace. I think it’s a terrible blow to the Palestinian people, because they must choose, too, whether they want to go forward or go backward. With the pact with Hamas, the Palestinian people took a huge step backward, away from peace, away from a good future for themselves.”
