At face value, the slap in the face senior Fatah leader Jibril Rajoub received from a member of the Palestinian parliament does not constitute material for a news analysis. The strike by parliament member Fateh Abu Rub that occurred Dec. 18 in the Grand Park Hotel's lobby in Ramallah was resolved relatively quickly, as the two Fatah leaders issued simultaneous statements saying that they have agreed to forgive and forget.

What makes this altercation different is that it might be an early warning to the leadership tug-of-war that is expected in the aftermath of the reign of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. On Jan. 1, 2014, Fatah celebrated its 49th anniversary with mixed expectations as to its future.

The danger behind what occurred in the hotel lobby, as Palestinians were preparing to meet the Chinese foreign minister, is that it reflects geographic and tribal sensitivities as well as political ones. Supporters of Rajoub, who comes from the Hebron area town of Dura, and Abu Rub, who comes from the Jenin area, were ready to defend their respective leaders.

But the more dangerous struggle that this physical quarrel reflected concerns no other than the controversial Fatah Central Committee leader Mohammad Dahlan. Abu Rub — who also goes by the nickname Hitler — is said to be a supporter of the Gaza leader who is living in exile in the United Arab Emirates pending attempts to reconcile between him and Abbas.