Yaseer Arafat’s legacy is in trouble because of the ongoing conflict between Fatah and Hamas to succeed him to control Palestine. The rout of Fatah faction by Hamas in the war torn Gaza strip is sure to change the political landscape of the Middle East. The diplomats and leaders of the world are already looking beyond their sinister outlook and certain to bring a radical change in their assumptions on Israel-Palestine conflict.
Till Hamas established its full control in Gaza, the world is used to viewing Israel and Fatah-led Palestinians running the Palestine Liberation Organisation are only dominant forces in Palestine. But, the change in scenario awfully struck the diplomatic assumptions that Fatah and Israel are only competent to solve the question of Palestine.
The emergence of radical Hamas is taking back the world to the days of pre-Oslo accord when Israel and PLO had vowed to quench their thirst by each other’s blood. Now, it is very much clear that if the world community is eager enough to secure the problem of Palestine forever, Hamas must be given due-consideration.
The growing support for Hamas and its militant capability supported by the Arab people is certainly forcing the world leaders to ponder over what went wrong and the need for a more effective future strategy to keep such proponents of violence away from conflict zones. The outside world made a mistake by giving Arafat and his Fatah to run the show in Palestine as one-man stewardship.
Arafat’s unquestionable dictatorship created complacency, corruption and took out all the hopes of Palestine people causing hardship. Hamas grew strength-to-strength opposing siphoning off millions from aid grants meant to alleviate Palestinian hardship and lack of voice. It garnered power in the squalid camps of Gaza and the overcrowded Palestinian ghettoes of the West Bank professing more radical approach and promising more viable system.
In spite of stern opposition from the West, Hamas won the parliamentary elections last year. But, disputes with the West backed Abbas presidency made it to adopt violent ways to dominate Palestinian political scheme. The result is Gaza turning into a safe heaven for the militant Hamas.
The failure of the international community to solve the Palestine problem for too long and continued Israel military operations killing Palestinians only helps Hamas to convince the people that supporting Fatah gained them no tangible benefits and radical change was required. World must understand the lingering violence and disillusion has created many power players in Palestine and a lasting solution depends on talking to all the stakeholders. Hamas is not an arm of global terrorists. Its birth was associated with the problem of common Palestinian from whom it draws its strength.
The world must accept the reality and take a constructive as well as conciliatory approach to bring both Fatah and Hamas into negotiating table. The western powers must not back blindly an aggressive Israel blaming Hamas for all ills. If western diplomats are serious about doing business, they must recognize the changing political atmosphere in the Middle East and shrug off attitudinal problems towards non-Fatah groups.
Via: Telegraph
