Israel bets against Palestinian unity

Israel's intelligence community has consistently maintained over the years that a viable reconciliation between the Gaza Strip and West Bank leaderships is unrealistic. Even if such an occurrence were suggested by an intelligence agency model, the relationship would be fragile and not last over time.

A former head of Shin Bet speaking to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity told the following story: Not long after the signing of the Oslo Accord (1993), Israel agreed to a trial period for a “safe passageway,” a route so Gaza residents could travel to the West Bank without having to pass through Israeli checkpoints. These were the early days of Oslo, when the winds of peace still blew in the region and optimism prevailed. “After less than a week,” recalled the former security chief, “the Ramallah governor turned to us and begged us to close the passageway. The Ramallah people simply didn’t want the Gaza people mingling with them.” He further said, “We are talking about two populations that are different and incompatible. There is no great love between Gaza and the West Bank, no real identification.”

Even today, with the passage of more than 20 years, Israeli intelligence continues to maintain that any reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah is a temporary meeting of interests and no more. It will not last long, intelligence sources have told Al-Monitor.

According to them, Hamas’ strategic goal continues to be ruling the Palestinian people, thus requiring that it push Fatah from its position of leadership. Sources in Israel say that this aim — even if seemingly far-fetched at the moment — was, and remains, Hamas’ ultimate goal. There are, in this respect, no differences of opinion between Hamas' past and present political and diplomatic chiefs, Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh, and the movement's Gaza chief and former military leader, Yahya Sinwar.