Recently, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair began his new role as envoy to the Middle East for the "Quartet," or the four major players in stabilizing the Middle East: United States, Russia, European Union and the United Nations. Blair’s position is primarily focused on improving the living conditions of Palestinians and helping them to create and strengthen governmental institutions in the West Bank. While not expected to solve all the major problems blocking a final peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Blair is expected to be a leading role in negotiating a final peace.
As of Tuesday, Hamas has banned all outdoor prayers in the Gaza Strip in a bid to put down rising tensions with pro-Fatah Gazans who used Friday prayers last week to call for the downfall of Hamas. Hamas stated that "(all) necessary steps will be taken to consolidate order and security in the Gaza Strip."
These protests are the largest seen against Hamas since its seizure of the Gaza Strip when it ousted Fatah members of the government on June 15.
On Monday, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed next to a day-care center in Sderot, Israel. Luckily, no children were harmed in the attack, but the psychological toll exacted upon this bombarded Israeli town is beginning to show as it strains the national government.
Israeli leaders met Tuesday and Wednesday to decide to expand a ground force operation into the Gaza Strip to root out terrorists and curb rocket attacks on border cities such as Sderot. Military officials finally ruled out such an operation, yet if the rocket fire continues, a future operation into the Gaza Strip may again become an option.
So what do all three of these events have to do with one another? It shows that Blair, in his new role, has his work cut out for him. He is expected to mediate negotiations on easing Palestinian movement in the West Bank while addressing Israeli security concerns.
As for strengthening government institutions in the West Bank, how can Blair be expected to do such a feat when Hamas and Fatah are still locked in a battle for control of Palestinian loyalties?
If Blair is going to be able to do anything to help the Palestinians, then his first job should not be to negotiate between Israelis and Palestinians. His first job should be to help settle the power struggle between Hamas and Fatah. So long as their power struggle continues, Palestinians have no hope for the creation of their own state.
Khaled Abu Toameh, a journalist for The Jerusalem Post, reported in February that fears among the average Palestinian showed that they viewed the fighting between Hamas and Gaza as tarnishing the world opinion of Palestinians. In the article, he quoted a Palestinian woman saying, "We are showing the world we do not deserve a state."
If the Palestinians want to show the world they deserve a state, which I agree they do, then the petty infighting must stop. So long as this infighting continues, Blair’s envoy position is going to result in the same manner as all previous envoys: failure.
The ball is, and has been, in the Palestinian court since the Israeli pullout of Gaza in 2005. Since then, instead of using that remarkable event to lead the way to statehood, they have used it as a launch pad for terrorist attacks and to further complicate the issue with the split into "Hamastan" and "Fatahland."
So long as this status quo continues, then no true peace attempts can be made between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has every legal and moral right to protect its citizens if rocket attacks continue, Egypt does not control the flow of arms into Gaza and Hamas continues its call to destroy Israel.
Clancy, a political science senior, can be reached via [email protected]
