An essential condition for the liberation of Palestine is the unity of all Palestinian parties and factions, but this point seems to elude both Fatah and Hamas. The two have behaved recklessly and resorted to force in the wake of Hamas’s sweeping electoral win in January 2006.

The Fatah leadership seems never to have reconciled itself to the loss of its traditional leadership role in the Palestinian community. More unfortunately, America and the EU fanned the Fatah-Hamas feud by making every attempt to sabotage the democratic government led by Ismail Haniye.

The US and EU cut off all non-humanitarian assistance, and Israel — never one to miss such an opportunity — held back the Palestinian Authority’s share of revenues. Western banks also refused to undertake transactions when some Arab countries, Iran and Russia tried to help the PA government, which was unable to pay salaries to its employees. The idea was to create chaos and thus ensure the Hamas government’s collapse. The situation worsened when Hamas routed Fatah and ‘captured’ Gaza in June 2007, while President Mahmoud Abbas reacted by sacking the Haniye government and appointing a new prime minister who didn’t enjoy the assembly’s confidence. Since then Gaza and the West Bank have existed as cantons with no status in international law.

Unless some differences crop up at the eleventh hour, the two sides are likely to sign later this month a reconciliation pact which will pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections next June. One issue that deserves immediate attention is the plight of hundreds of prisoners held by both sides. Their release should serve to lessen tensions and mitigate the sufferings of the families. The Cairo-brokered talks must succeed, because the Fatah and Hamas leaders owe it to their people to forge unity and work together for Palestine’s liberation.