Fatah-Hamas Unity, April 2011
[Note: The signing of a unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo on 3 April generated hopes and interests. Editorial commentaries from the international and Middle Eastern media are reproduced here. Editor, MEI@ND]
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The Jerusalem Post, Editorial, 28 April 2011, Thursday
1. No partner
Abbas's capitulation to Hamas has dealt a critical blow to any hope of Israeli-Palestinian progress. ‘There will be no dialogue with these murderers,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said back in June 2007, referring to Hamas. “There will be no dialogue with the forces of darkness.” Abbas made these remarks shortly after Hamas, in a bloody coup, had seized control of the Gaza Strip. For full text

Oman Tribune, Muscat, Editorial, 29 April 2011, Friday
2. Disquiet in Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be an intensely worried man now. So are other Israeli front-rank leaders like Shimon Peres and Avigdor Leiberman. And what about those in the West and elsewhere viscerally opposed to Hamas? There is little need to elaborate on the reason for their disquiet, which is over Hamas’s signing of the accord with Fatah brokered by the Egyptians about two years ago.
For full text

Gulf News, Dubai, Editorial, 29 April 2011, Friday
3. Palestinian affairs are not Israel's concern
Netanyahu should focus on a just peace instead of illegal colony activities. After four years of feuding and bitter exchanges, Palestine's two main political factions Hamas and Fatah have surprised everyone by announcing that they've reached an agreement and plan to form an interim government — paving the way for Palestine-wide presidential and parliamentary elections within a year. For full text

The National, Abu Dhabi, Editorial, 29 April 2011, Friday
4. Palestinian unity strips Israel of its false pretences
If few expected the speed and skill of Egypt's diplomatic corps as it navigated Wednesday's deal between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, the response from Israel was all too predictable."The Palestinian Authority has to decide on having peace with Israel or peace with Hamas," the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared in response to the preliminary accord inked in Cairo. "You can't have peace with both." For full text

The Daily Star, Beirut, Editorial, 30 April 2011, Saturday
5. Palestine united
The nascent Palestinian reconciliation, to be consummated next Wednesday in Cairo, is a welcome step that should result in a unified and stronger push for statehood led by the right group – a united Palestinian people. For full text

Khaleej Times, Dubai, Editorial, 30 April 2011, Saturday
6. A long-awaited reconciliation
The seemingly impossible reconciliation of the two main Palestinian groups, Fatah and Hamas, has now come about. Naturally, the consequent reactions have been diverse and extreme to say the least.  Israel’s reaction, as expected, is maximalist to the core. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been quick to point out how Fatah may have lost any opportunity to negotiate a two-state solution because of its new partnership with Hamas.  For full text

The Boston Globe, Editorial, 30 April 2011, Saturday
7. Don’t dismiss talks just yet
Before dismissing the possibility of peace talks with a Palestinian government that includes the militant movement Hamas, President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should wait and see what that new government actually does. For full text

The Jerusalem Post, Editorial, 1 May 2011, Sunday
8. Echoes
Reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas is bad for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and potentially dangerous for the Jewish state. One need not be blessed with an inordinate amount of sagacity to understand that a reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas is bad for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and potentially dangerous for the Jewish state. For full text

Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv, Editorial, 4 May 2011, Wednesday
9. Palestinian unity is an opportunity, not a threat
It would be correct for Israel to recognize the Palestinian unity government in order to conduct a dialogue and neighbourly relations with the Palestinian state in the future. The word “reconciliation” is so distant from the Middle Eastern reality that its use is taken as either a joke or threat. The signing ceremony in Cairo yesterday (3 April) between Fatah and Hamas is likely to mark a turning point, not only for the concept, but also for the Palestinian and regional situation. For full text

Arab News, Jeddah, Editorial, 4 May 2011, Wednesday
10. Fatah-Hamas deal
It is Netanyahu who must now choose between illegal settlements and peace. Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the Fatah-Hamas peace deal was to threaten Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, saying he needed to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas. For full text

The Daily Star, Beirut, Editorial, 5 May 2011, Thursday
11. Turning the page
The landmark reconciliation agreement unveiled in Cairo between the Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas should be a cause for celebration, albeit tempered by some scepticism. The statements delivered on the momentous occasion, the ostensible end to years of stalemate and division, have sounded all of the right notes. For full text

The Washington Post, Editorial, 5 May 2011, Thursday
12. The Palestinian ‘reconciliation’
The Palestinian reconciliation agreement formalized Wednesday (4 May) in Cairo explodes the status quo that has prevailed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for four years — along with the diplomatic strategy pursued by the Obama administration. Since 2007, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, has shunned the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip while sporadically negotiating with Israel. It has worked closely with the United States to train responsible security forces and develop an accountable, incorrupt government. For full text

The Hindu, Chennai, Editorial, 6 May 2011, Friday
13. Vital accord for Palestine
The intra-Palestinian reconciliation accord signed in Cairo on May 4 (Wednesday 2011) is a significant achievement and therefore a cause for measured celebration. Signed in the presence of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, who belongs to Fatah, and Khaled Masha'al, the leader of Hamas, the agreement ends four years of estrangement between the two main rival groups. For full text

Compiled by Alvite N

Alvite N is an Indian researcher affiliated with the BESA Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Mail

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy