History also teaches us that all the peoples of this region struggled with each other by establishing alliances with powers outside the region. They were divided, then unified; they lived under different authorities and then were divided again only to be reunified later on, and this vicious circle has continued. Today, the disputed territory may seem relatively small, but the number of players involved, at both local and global levels, is very high. The Palestinian people were represented during the Cold War by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Diverging social groups, political tendencies, religious origins and political projects were united behind Yasser Arafat, who was the “face” of the Palestinians. This movement was third-worldist, following the line of Nehru, Tito and Nasser, and was supported by the Soviet Union. It gave the impression that if a Palestinian state were created, it would join the Eastern bloc, unlike Israel, which was seen as a member of the Western bloc.
The Palestinian territory has suffered from the consequences of the Cold War in the Middle East as much as Germany suffered in Europe because of East-West antagonism. The same geography now faces the consequences of post-Cold War syndromes. In addition, when we talk about “Palestine” today, it's not possible to think of it as one territory with one authority or one type of regime. One the one hand, there is Fatah. This organization, once diabolized by the West, appears now as the most acceptable interlocutor. Fatah may get along well with the West and Israel, but it now has serious problems with its own people. On the other hand, there is Hamas that the majority of Palestinians believe is capable of realizing things that Fatah cannot. These two organizations could struggle with each other like two legitimate political parties, but this hasn't happened because Hamas is stuck in Gaza, mostly as a result of Israeli policies, but also because of its own tactical mistakes. Besides, as Hamas is perceived as mainly responsible for the ongoing violence, it is regarded as a terrorist organization by many countries and not as an ordinary political party. Fatah is now seen as the modern face of the Palestinian people while Hamas is seen as Palestine's postmodern or radical aspect. Moreover, these two organizations have established their own security apparatus and launched a fight against each other.
Partly because of this inter-Palestinian struggle, divisions have appeared within Hamas. A radical Islamist group, Jund Ansar Allah, which accused Hamas of being too soft against Israel, declared the creation of an Islamic Emirate in the tiny Gaza Strip. In order to restore order, Hamas has launched a military operation, killing many Palestinians.
One might think that Israel is happy to see that Palestinians are more and more divided and each small group is trying to have its own small state. But these divisions could create a vacuum that could drag Israel in, making it hard for Israel to find someone to negotiate peace with. Israel should be very concerned about the fact that everyone who grabs a flag declares a mini-state. However, as Hamas had the opportunity to demonstrate its determination to eradicate radical currents that emerge in its territory, maybe it will be easier to find common ground so Hamas and Israel can start to talk to each other.
