Is a Palestinian unity government the solution?
Unity between Gaza and the West Bank is the answer. Unity within the Palestinians is obviously the right objective—but it’s got to be on the right terms. In other words, the parties unifying have got to be agreeing. Unless it is clear that the Palestinian side is genuinely united—in other words, they agree that what they’re trying to do is create their own state side-by-side with the Israeli state—it’s very, very hard to get a viable negotiation. If you want a two-state solution, both sides have got to accept that there will be two states. Doesn’t this war risk exacerbating some of the differences between these two parties? Couldn’t a militarily weakened Hamas embolden remaining Fatah elements to renew internecine violence? You’re right—but this is why this thing has got to be created by the international community. This process just can’t be left up to the parties to try to find a way through. We’ve got to be helping and organizing and supporting and making sure you get not just the s
