Fatah–Hamas conflict
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| Fatah–Hamas conflict | |
|---|---|
 Gringer (talk) 14:01, 8 January 2009 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Conflict | Fatah–Hamas conflict |
| Date | 2006–present |
| Place | Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jerusalem, Egypt, Israel |
| Combatant1 | Fatah, Palestinian Authority |
| Combatant2 | Hamas, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades |
| Casualties | See detailed accounts |
Fatah–Hamas conflict is an intra-Palestinian political and armed struggle between Fatah and Hamas that reshaped Palestinian politics after the 2006 Palestinian legislative election and the 2007 Battle of Gaza. The dispute has involved leaders such as Mahmoud Abbas, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Mashal, and institutions including the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Legislative Council, Palestinian Central Council, and external actors like Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Iran. The conflict has affected the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and relations with Israel, United States, European Union, and United Nations bodies.
Background
The roots trace to ideological and organizational rivalry between Fatah—founded by Yasser Arafat and associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian National Council—and Hamas—linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Charter of Hamas, and leaders such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. After the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, tensions persisted over security forces like the Palestinian National Security Forces, control of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and approaches toward Israel including the Second Intifada and Ceasefire of 2005. Regional dynamics involving Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iran–Palestine relations influenced factional alignments and patronage networks.
Origins and early clashes (2004–2006)
Clashes escalated amid leadership transitions following the assassinations and deaths of figures such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and the legacy of Yasser Arafat; confrontations involved Palestinian Preventive Security Service, Arafat's security apparatus, and armed wings including the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Episodes in the Gaza–Israel conflict, disputes over prisoner exchanges like the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, and political contests involving Hamas' participation in municipal elections, the Palestinian Legislative Council, and negotiations with Quartet on the Middle East actors set the stage for the 2006 electoral breakthrough by Hamas.
2006 Palestinian legislative election and aftermath
The 2006 Palestinian legislative election produced a victory for Hamas lists featuring Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal against a Fatah-led coalition including Mahmoud Abbas and figures from the Palestinian Authority. International reactions from the European Union, United States Department of State, United Nations Security Council, and Quartet imposed conditions tied to the Roadmap for Peace, affecting aid flows from donors like United States Agency for International Development, European Commission, and Arab League states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Power struggles within the Palestinian Legislative Council, disputes over cabinet formation, and tensions involving security services precipitated violent incidents and political paralysis.
Gaza takeover and intra-Palestinian violence (2007)
In 2007, after escalatory confrontations with Fatah forces, including engagements in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah Governorate, Hamas fighters of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades ousted many Fatah-aligned forces in events often described alongside the Battle of Gaza. The takeover followed episodes such as the Sana'a Agreement and the collapse of unity efforts mediated by actors like Egyptian intelligence and Qatari mediation. The result was competing administrations with Ismail Haniyeh leading a Hamas-based government in Gaza and Mahmoud Abbas dismissing the Haniyeh cabinet and appointing a new Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank.
Political divisions and governance (2007–present)
After 2007 the Palestinian territories witnessed bifurcated governance: a Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip and a Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas, interacting with institutions such as the Palestinian Monetary Authority, Palestinian Civil Police Force, and the Palestinian Legislative Council whose quorum and functionality were affected. International engagement involved United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, European Union Monitoring Mission, and donor states adjusting aid, while regional actors including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Iran influenced governance, reconciliation talks, and security arrangements such as border control at Rafah border crossing.
Periodic escalations and ceasefires
Periodic escalations between armed groups in Gaza and Israel—notably the Gaza War (2008–09), the Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), the 2014 Gaza War, and subsequent conflicts—intersected with the Fatah–Hamas divide, involving mediators like Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, Qatar, and United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Ceasefires brokered through intermediaries including Egypt and Qatar produced temporary truces, prisoner deals, and reconstruction pledges coordinated with organizations such as UNICEF and World Bank; intermittent outbreaks involved rocket launches, tunnel warfare, and Israeli operations affecting civilian infrastructure.
Attempts at reconciliation and reconciliation agreements
Multiple reconciliation attempts produced accords such as the Mecca Agreement (2007), the Cairo Agreement (2011), the Doha Agreement (2012), and the Unity Government formation (2014), often mediated by Egypt, Qatar, United Nations, and Turkey. Negotiations addressed issues including security integration, civil service payrolls, electoral timetables for Palestinian presidential election and Palestinian Legislative Council renewal, and control of borders and crossings like Rafah border crossing; figures involved included Mahmoud Abbas, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Mashal, and envoys from United States, European Union, and Arab League. While agreements occasionally restored coordination on utilities, taxation, and humanitarian access with participants such as Israel Electric Corporation and Palestine Investment Fund, implementation repeatedly stalled over disputes on security, authority, and external pressures from states like Israel and Egypt.