....there are some signs that the split between Hamas and Fatah could prove less devastating than pessimists fear. One reason is that the clashes in Gaza may have been, in part, Hamas settling scores against an individual, Mohammed Dahlan, a reviled Fatah strongman, rather than a Hamas attempt to destroy Fatah as a whole. Hamas members always hated Mr Dahlan, who was Yasser Arafat’s security chief in Gaza in the 1990s. The forces under his command were responsible for arresting and torturing many Hamas militants. In last week’s fighting Mr Dahlan’s house and offices were looted and destroyed and many of his henchmen fled (he had left Gaza two months before for an operation). Now that they have gone, the tension may yet ease a little.
Mr Dahlan may have been a big part of the problem. Other Fatah leaders, such as Ahmed Hallis, the group’s secretary-general in Gaza and a man who harboured a thinly disguised contempt for Mr Dahlan, managed to stay behind when many top Fatah folk fled in fear for their lives. He is now reportedly in talks with Hamas. In addition, Hamas's leaders are trying to achieve the release of a kidnapped BBC journalist, Alan Johnston, who has been held for months. If they succeed they would hope to demonstrate they have genuine control of Gaza, after the chaos of the past few months.
Hamas is not entirely united. Ismail Haniyeh, who was prime minister until last week, has angrily rejected Mr Abbas’s authority to fire him. But Khaled Meshal, a Hamas leader based in Damascus, appears keener on reconciliation with Fatah, saying late last week that “what is needed now is to deal with the Palestinian schism”. Mr Meshal opposes any attempt to hive off the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. It seems Hamas is not yet ready to strike out on its own. Mr Abbas too will be reluctant to acquiesce in cutting off Gaza altogether. Some kind of rapprochement may yet be in the offing.
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