The
Fatah–Hamas conflict (
Al-Nizāʿ bain Fataḥ wa Ḥamās), also referred to as the
Palestinian Civil War (Arabic:
الحرب الأهلية الفلسطينية Al-Ḥarb al-ʾAhliyyah al-Filisṭīnīyah), and the
Conflict of Brothers (Arabic:
صراع الأخوة Ṣirāʿ al-Ikhwah), i.e. fratricidal war, began in 2006 and has continued, in one form or another, into 2009. The conflict is between the two main Palestinian parties,
FatahNot to be confused with Fatah Revolutionary Council also known as Abu Nidal OrganizationFataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the center-left of the spectrum...
and
HamasHamas is a Palestinian Islamic socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. The majority of the fighting is occurring in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
where fighting began after Hamas's legislative victories. Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip.
The conflict is called
Wakseh among Palestinians, meaning humiliation, ruin, and collapse as a result of self-inflicted damage.
Background
The tensions between Hamas and Fatah began to rise in 2005 after the death of longtime PLO leader
Yasser ArafatMohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political...
, who died on November 11, 2004, and intensified after
Hamas won the electionsOn January 25 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority...
of 2006.
2006 elections
HamasHamas is a Palestinian Islamic socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
won the
2006 Palestinian electionsOn January 25 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority...
. As a result, Israel, the United States, the European Union, several Western states, and the
Arab statesThe Arab World refers to Arabic-speaking countries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast...
imposed sanctions suspending all foreign aid, upon which Palestinians depend. (They have promised to resume aid if Hamas fulfills '3 Demands,' recognizing
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, accepting agreements made by the Palestinian Authority under the previous Fatah-led Administration, and denouncing violence.) Despite the sanctions, and incidents of successful border interdiction, Hamas leaders were able to smuggle enough money into the Palestinian territories to maintain basic health and educational services. The defeated Fatah party maintains control of most of the Palestinian security apparatus. The US administration funded
AbbasMahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
's Presidential Guard. .
U.S. funding, weapons, and training for Fatah
Over 2006 and 2007, the United States supplied guns, ammunition, and training to Palestinian Fatah activists to take on Hamas in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank in a U.S. effort that cost $59 million and covertly persuaded Arab allies to supply more funding. A large number of Fatah activists were trained and "graduated" from two West Bank camps while Jordan and Egypt trained two Fatah battalions, one of which was deployed to Gaza in May.
According to Vanity Fair, in 2006 the United States initiated a "covert initiative, approved by Bush and implemented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil war."
March 2006 to December 2006 rise of tensions
The period from March to December 2006 was marked by tensions when Fatah commanders refused to take orders from the government while the Palestinian Authority initiated a campaign of assassinations and abductions against Hamas which led to Hamas beginning its own. Tensions grew additionally between the two Palestinian factions after they failed to reach a deal to share government power. On 15 December, Abbas called for Palestinian general election. Hamas has challenged the legality of holding an early election, maintaining its right to hold the full term of its democratically elected offices. Hamas has characterized this as an attempted Fatah coup by Abbas, using undemocratic means to overthrow the results of a democratically elected government.
According to one Palestinian rights group, more than 600 Palestinians were killed in fighting from January 2006 to May 2007. A serious escalation in the violence was marked by the 2006 Rimal neighborhood shootings.
First round of fighting
On December 15, 2006, fighting broke out in the West Bank after Palestinian security forces fired on a Hamas rally in
RamallahRamallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank adjacent to al-Bireh with a population nearly 25,500...
. At least 20 people were wounded in the clashes which came shortly after Hamas accused Fatah of attempting to assassinate
Ismail HaniyaIsmail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
, the Palestinian prime minister.
Intense fighting continued throughout December 2006 and January 2007 in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
. Several ceasefire attempts failed, being broken by continued battles. In February 2007, Palestinian rivals met in the Islamic holy city of
MeccaMecca , sometimes spelled Makkah is the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion. The city is modern, cosmopolitan and whilst being closed to non-Muslims is nonetheless ethnically diverse.Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants...
,
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
and reached an accord ensuring a ceasefire. However, minor incidents continued through March and April 2007. More than 90 people were killed in these first months.
Second round of fighting
In mid-May 2007, clashes erupted once again in the streets of Gaza. In less than 20 days, more than 50 Palestinians were killed. Leaders of both parties tried to stop the fighting with dozens of truces, but none of them held for longer than a few days.
By most accounts, Hamas performed better than Fatah in the second round of fighting. Some attribute this to the discipline and better training of Hamas's fighters, as most of the casualties have been from the Fatah faction. However, Fatah's armed forces are greater in numbers, and security officials from Israel and the United States allege that Hamas downplayed its casualties.
Third round of fighting: Gaza: Hamas reasserts control
Throughout the four days of fighting Hamas had taken control of the main north-south road and the coastal road. The Israeli government closed all check-points on borders of Gaza in response to the violence. During the four days of intense fighting at least 116 people were killed.
West Bank: Fatah wins and establishes a separate government
The attacks of Hamas gunmen against Fatah security forces in the Gaza Strip resulted in a reaction of Fatah gunmen against Hamas institutions in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
. Although Hamas's numbers are greater in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
, Fatah forces are greater in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
.
On June 14,
Palestinian PresidentThe President of the Palestinian National Authority is the highest-ranking political position in the Palestinian National Authority ....
Mahmoud AbbasMahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
announced the
dissolutionIn parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
of the current unity government and the declaration of a
state of emergencyA state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties...
.
Palestinian Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority is the head of government of the Palestinian government.The Prime Minister's Office was created in 2003 to manage day-to-day activities of the Palestinian government. The position was created because both Israel and the United States had...
Ismail HaniyaIsmail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
was dismissed, and Abbas began to rule Gaza and the West Bank by presidential decree. Hamas spokesman
Sami Abu ZuhriSami Abu Zuhri is a senior spokesman for the Palestinian political party Hamas. Zuhri a relatively unknown member of Hamas gained notoriety on May 19, 2006, when Palestinian security and customs officials discovered he had euro 640,000 on his person, another report claimed he held a larger sum of...
responded by declaring that President Abbas's decision was "in practical terms...worthless," asserting that Haniya "remains the head of the government even if it was dissolved by the president".
Nathan Brown of the
Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceThe Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a foreign-policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. The organization describes itself as being dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States...
comments that under the 2003 Palestinian Constitution Abbas clearly has the right to declare a state of emergency and dismiss the prime minister but the state of emergency can continue only for 30 days. After that it would need to be renewed by the (Hamas-dominated) Legislative Council, which also constrains the breadth of his emergency powers. Neither Hamas nor Fatah currently has enough votes to form a new government under the constitution. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights condemns Hamas's "decision to resolve the conflict militarily" but argues that "steps taken by President Mahmoud Abbas in response to these events violate the Basic Law and undermine the Basic Law in a manner that is no less dangerous."
On June 15, Abbas appointed
Salam FayyadSalam Fayyad is a Palestinian politician and the current Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority after being reappointed on 19 May 2009. His first appointment, on 15 June 2007, was justified by President Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", has not been confirmed by the...
as prime minister and gave him the task of forming a new government.
The West Bank had its first casualty when the bullet-riddled body of a Hamas militant was found in
NablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 134,000...
, sparking the fear Fatah would use its advantage in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
for retaliation against its members' deaths in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
On the same day, Hamas also declared that it was in full control of Gaza, a claim denied by Abbas.
On June 16, a Fatah-linked militant group, the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, stormed the Hamas-controlled parliament based in Ramallah in the West Bank. This act, including the ransack of the ministry of education, has been seen as a reaction to similar looting occurring following Hamas's military success in Gaza.
On June 20, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar declared that if Fatah continued to try to uproot Hamas in the West Bank, it could lead to Fatah's downfall there as well. He would not deny when asked that Hamas resistance against Fatah would take the form of attacks and suicide bombings similar to those Hamas has used against Israel in the past.
Renewed clashes in Gaza
On October 17, clashes erupted in eastern Gaza between Hamas security forces and members of the powerful Heles clan (Fatah-affiliated), leaving up to two dead on both sides. Fatah and Hamas officials gave conflicting accounts of what caused the fighting but the dispute seems to have originated when Hamas officials demanded that the clan return a governmental car. Another gun battle on October 20 killed one member of the clan and a 13-year-old boy. During the same day, in Rafah, one woman was killed and eight people were injured when Hamas security members traded fire with Islamic Jihad activists. Two days later, 7 more Palestinians were killed in the internal fighting, including some Hamas militants and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant.
On November 12, a large demonstration dedicated to the memory of late Palestinian Authority President
Yasser ArafatMohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political...
was organized by Fatah in Gaza City. With over 200,000 participants, this was the largest Fatah demonstration in the Gaza strip since the Hamas takeover. The demonstration was forcibly dispersed by Hamas gunmen, who fired into the crowd. At least six civilians were killed and over 80 people were injured, some from being trampled in the resulting stampede. The smaller militant group Islamic Jihad, whose members have clashed with Hamas several times, condemned the shootings.
On January 1, 2008, at least eight people had died in factional fighting in the Gaza Strip.
West Bank 2009
On May 31, 2009, six were killed as Palestinian Authority and Hamas forces clashed in Qalqilya.
Ethan BronnerEthan Samuel Bronner has been Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times since March 2008 following four years as deputy foreign editor....
described the fighting as an indication "that the Palestinian unity needed for creation of a state is far off."
See also
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. It forms part of the wider Arab–Israeli conflict. The term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Zionist halutzim and the Arab population living in Palestine under...
- 2007 Israel-Gaza conflict
- Moussa Arafat
"Major General" Moussa Arafat al-Qudwa was a cousin of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Some reports describe Yasser Arafat as his nephew....
- Fauda
- Fitna
- Hamastan
Hamastan is a pejorative neologism, merging 'Hamas', a Palestinian militant organization and political party, and '-stan', a Persian suffix meaning "home of/place of". -Linguistic history:...
- List of wars 2003–current
External links
- Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, by Jonathan Schanzer (2008)
- "Analysis on the Legality of New PA Elections"
- "Palestinian factions 'agree deal'"
- "Abbas insists will hold elections, truce unraveling"
- "Review by the Reut Institute: Hamas Consolidates; Fatah Disoriented"
- Frustration over Ramallah violence
- Palestinian rivals: Fatah & Hamas
- No agreement in Palestinian talks
- "PA unity deal a disaster" Secular Palestinians surrender to religious fanaticism in Mecca deal, by Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an Arab-American journalist also known for his stand-up comedy. Hanania writes a syndicated column with a particular focus on the Middle East, and after the September 11 attacks, created a comedy act with the hope of defusing mutual suspicion.- Life and career :Hanania's parents are...
, YnetnewsYnetnews is an English language Israel news and content website operated by Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most-read newspaper, and the Hebrew Israel news portal, Ynet...
02.15.07
- Gaza on the Verge of Civil War Andrew Lee Butters, TIME
Time is a component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects...
May 14, 2007
- Q&A: Gaza's civil war Mark Tran, The Guardian
The Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
May 14, 2007
- 'It's dangerous inside and out.' By Ibrahim Barzak, reporter's account of a nerve-racking day in Gaza City during factional fighting, Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
May 17, 2007
- Gunning in Gaza The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in an office in the City of Westminster, London. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843. While The Economist calls itself a...
print edition, May 17 2007
- Sacrificing the Palestinian struggle Article by Israeli jouralist Amira Hass
Amira Hass is a prominent left-wing Israeli journalist and author, mostly known for her columns in the daily newspaper Ha'aretz...
June 14 2007
- A selection of links and news concerning the Palestinian Basic Law