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After Gaza, Hamas and Fatah back to bickering

The coming months will test whether Fatah and Hamas leaders can effectively manage reconstruction in Gaza and make advances toward an independent Palestinian state.
An official Israeli sign from the Civil Administration in Charge of the Government Property, placed in the West Bank near the Israeli Beitar Illit (R) settlement, states that the area is state land and trespassing is not allowed, near the Palestinian village of Wadi Fukin, on September 4, 2014. Israel over the weekend said it would expropriate 400 hectares (988 acres) of Palestinian land around Bethlehem, and allowed 45 days for any appeal. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI        (Photo credit should read AHMAD G

It seems as simple as pushing a button. Palestinian-Israeli politics have shifted from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, as if the 51-day war against Gaza never happened. One week after the announcement of the permanent cease-fire by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel is back to confiscating Palestinian lands for settlements, Jewish religious zealots are infiltrating Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and Palestinian internal bickering is back to its prewar level.

How did the situation change so fast? What happened to all the rhetoric about the need to double down and find a political solution to the Palestinian conflict? How can Israel get away with making the biggest land grab in 30 years? Does the fact that US-Israeli relations are at an all-time low allow or encourage such behavior?

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