Gaza's shrinking options

Following the expiration of the allotted timeframe given to the Palestinian reconciliation government on 2 December, Hamas announced its willingness to extend the government’s mandate for an additional six months. This is conditional on Hamas playing a larger role, since the current government has not fulfilled any of the tasks entrusted to it in the Gaza Strip.

Yet, Hamas made its current suggestion after knowing full well that the government’s expiration date does not necessarily imply its termination. As a result of this, any changes made to the current government will have to be agreed upon by all factions. Thus, the government will remain as is until further alternatives can be discussed. Despite its failures, the problem with the unity government is not necessarily a question of validity or expiry; the main fault lies with the short period that was set for its mandate. As Fatah recently clarified, the allotted time frame did not determine a specific date for the government’s work or implementation of tasks; rather, it was established as a guideline for heading towards governmental elections within the legislative and executive branches, without setting a specific date for the end of the reconciliation government itself.

It is no secret that both Fatah and Hamas have been conducting a series of intense consultations over the past few weeks in Ramallah, Gaza and beyond. The two movements have been struggling to find a solution to the current crisis with regards to dropping the legal period that was agreed upon by both parties during the new government’s nascent stages. Despite this, the two parties have not been able to find a loophole out of this pre-determined condition due to the chaotic nature of the Palestinian situation, which continues to go from one crisis to another.

Several options were discussed during the meetings between the two sides, the most important of which being for the Palestinian Authority to allow Hamas to extend its political umbrella under the unity government. The plan includes establishing the movement’s own governmental centres in the Gaza Strip in order to expedite the rebuilding process. The goal behind Hamas’s demands is to find suitable solutions for the situation in Gaza, including providing services to workers within the strip who have been discriminated against over the course of the last few months.

Furthermore, numerous Palestinian factions have confirmed that they are working to form a new Palestinian national coalition that would include all Palestinian political parties. This idea has been accepted by the majority of Palestinian factions in light of the failure of bilateral mechanisms in the search for an acceptable solution to the Palestinian crisis.

As of a few days ago, Hamas wholly rejected the possibility of extending the unity government’s mandate on the grounds that it was merely a replica of Abbas’s government and not a true representation of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian unity government has failed to implement any of its tasks towards the Gaza Strip, including expediting the process of rebuilding the strip; lifting the siege; extending the ministries to Gaza; and unifying all state institutions within the Palestinian territories. Rami Hamadallah, the president of the unity government, is allegedly scheduled to visit Gaza within the coming days in order to address several important issues such as the reorganisation of Palestinian political factions, especially Hamas.

Those surrounding President Mahmoud Abbas do not believe that Hamas’s sporadic threats to dismantle the government negate the reality of the worsening relations between Hamas and Fatah. Palestinian authorities in Gaza need to address the following issues as soon as possible: alleviating the worsening conditions of Gaza’s workers; lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip; reconstructing Gaza after the latest Israeli offensive; and diverting Hamas’s threats to withdraw from the current government.

The current circumstances prove that the Palestinian unity government does not offer any suitable solutions for the worsening situation in Gaza. It seems that the sole beneficiary from the government’s current status is none other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) himself, as he got exactly what he wanted when he stripped Hamas of its legitimacy without offering what he promised in return.

Despite all this, it seems that Hamas is still willing to discuss ways to address the worsening situation in Gaza via a reshuffling of the cabinet and a true national reconciliation that would give Gaza the attention it needs and deserves. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that Hamas will fall victim to the politics of blackmail and political impasses. Thus, the question that begs an answer is: if all of these policies continue to fail, will Hamas once again take over the reigns of power in Gaza?

Hamas has yet to give an answer that would confirm or deny the validity of the above question; however, it seems that the political movement has put the possibility of regaining exclusive control of Gaza in the past so long as there is a possibility of finding a suitable alternative with the rest of Palestine’s political factions. The question of ruling Gaza doesn’t seem to be on Hamas’s political agenda, at least not for now.

Therefore, we hope that Hamas will not be forced to swallow the poison that will come out of ruling Gaza once again because they will have to bear the responsibilities of this alternative. This is exactly what Mahmoud Abbas and the unity government want. After all, Abbas treats the Gaza Strip as if it is a neighbouring country rather than an integral a part of the Palestinian people.

Translated from Felesteen newspaper, 7 December, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.