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Hamas and Fatah No Closer To Settling Their Differences

Fatah and Hamas, despite their conciliatory language during the latest Gaza Strip conflict with Israel, aren't about to reconcile, writes Dalia Hatuqa from Ramallah.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (in front) prays with senior leaders of Hamas and Fatah in Gaza City December 9, 2012. Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Islamist Hamas movement, made a defiant speech before thousands of supporters in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, promising to take "inch-by-inch" all of mod
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal leads prayers with senior leaders of Hamas and Fatah in Gaza City, Dec. 9, 2012. — REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Amid the unprecedented West Bank celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hamas’ founding, questions are arising as to whether the Islamist Movement and Fatah are finally one step closer to reconciling their political differences. 

Just several months after establishing a unity government in 2006, fighting broke out between the two groups’ respective affiliates, which escalated into a brutal series of street battles throughout the Gaza Strip (less so in the West Bank), ending when the Islamic movement routed Fatah’s forces and assumed full control of the coastal enclave.

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