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Key Events
Civil War in Palestine? (11 December 2006)
Following the failure to form a Palestinian national unity government to satisfy the international community's conditions to lift an economic blockade, factional violence has broken out in the Palestinian territories. On Sunday, 17 December, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for new elections, viewed by Hamas as a bid to undermine the government which it leads following last February's legislative elections and after which international sanctions were imposed.
President Abbas' calls for new elections follows the attempt on Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's life, during which his one of his bodyguards was killed and his son Abd Elsalam Haniya and adviser Ahmad Yousef were wounded. Prime Minister Haniya was targeted when he tried to return to Gaza via the Rafah border, where Israel had denied him entry as he carried millions of dollars in cash donations from Middle Eastern governments. Hamas accused Fatah heavyweight Mohammad Dahlan of orchestrating the attack, a claim rejected by Fatah, the party headed by President Abbas.
While infighting has plagued the Palestinian territories long before the election of the Hamas government in February, it took a turn for the worst when intelligence officer and Hamas antagonist Baha Baloushe's three young children and their driver were killed and four others wounded as they were traveling to school on 11 December. The killings were followed by armed demonstrations that have characterized the chaos that has broken out in cities in both Gaza and the West Bank. Calls to bring perpetrators to justice echo those to hold accountable the countless other vigilante attacks that have gone unpunished in the territories.
Many observers link the desparation underlying the demonstrations to the economic crisis that has transpired since the international blockade imposed on the Palestinians since the legislative elections. The economic blockade, intended to coerce the Hamas government into resigning, exacerbated the already dire food crisis caused by Israel's extended closures of the Gaza Strip. Frustration over these conditions had manifested in civil strikes that broke out throughout the occupied Palestinian territories over unpaid wages as the new Palestinian government inherited the previous one's deficit as well as confronted with the international blockade.
Palestinian human rights organizations have long warned of the deterioration of the rule of law and the phenomenon of vigilantism in the Palestinian territories that leaves vulnerable ordinary Palestinians. The inability of the Palestinian Authority to enforce the rule of law is best understood in the context of Israel systematically undermining the functioning of the Palestinian government through such means as destroying governmental infrastructure and raiding Palestinian governmental institutions.
With a crippled government, and constantly under siege, average Palestinians find themselves in a veritable pressure cooker, squeezed between the pressures of Israel, the international community, and now the largest two Palestinian political parties, Fateh and Hamas.
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| In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, a man sits next to a wall that reads in Arabic, "No to internal fighting. Yes to fighting the occupation." 16 June 2007. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages) |
Opinion and Analysis
Reclaiming Palestine, Osamah Khalil (30 July 2007)
Overcoming the conspiracy against Palestine, Ali Abunimah (18 July 2007)
Who will save Palestine?, Sonja Karkar (11 July 2007)
The revolution starts now, Osamah Khalil (6 July 2007)
Subverting democracy, Joseph Massad (4 July 2007)
Egypt loses diplomatic ground with Hamas, Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani (28 June 2007)
US Congress to curb Bush enthusiasm for Abbas, Khody Akhavi (27 June 2007)
Divide and rule, Israeli style, Jonathan Cook (26 June 2007)
In search of justice in the Middle East, Ali Abunimah (21 June 2007)
The Light at the End of the Gaza-Ramallah Tunnel, Omar Barghouti (20 June 2007)
Hamas' Shock and Awe, Sam Bahour (20 June 2007)
Decoding the media's Palestinian "civil war", Ben White (19 June 2007)
Whose Coup, Exactly?, Virginia Tilley (18 June 2007)
Towards a Georgraphy of Peace: Whither Gaza?, Ilan Pappé (18 June 2007)
Audio/Transcript: Ali Abunimah and Laila El-Haddad on the situation in Gaza, Democracy Now! (15 June 2007)
Oslo's baleful legacy, Nimer Sultany (16 June 2007)
A setback for the Bush doctrine in Gaza, Ali Abunimah (14 June 2007)
The result of bad politics, Hasan Abu Nimah (23 May 2007)
Palestinian Pinochet Making His Move?, Tony Karon (21 May 2007)
The Mecca Charity Show, Roni Ben Efrat (8 March 2007)
The American proxy war in Gaza, Ali Abunimah (3 February 2007)
U.S. Backing for Fateh Stirs New Conflict, Jon Elmer and Nora Barrows-Friedman (2 February 2007)
Abbas: Far from 'the right and moral point', Rima Merriman (30 January 2007)
Mockery and deception continue, Hasan Abu Nimah (24 January 2007)
Palestine and the long arm of the Occupation, Agustin Velloso (23 January 2007)
Two Civil Wars with Brakes On, Roni Ben Efrat (4 January 2007)
Olmert and Abbas "push the wedge" in Palestine, James Brooks (29 December 2006)
Who is Mohammad Dahlan?, Arjan El Fassed (20 December 2006)
There is still another way for Palestine, Hasan Abu Nimah and Ali Abunimah (20 December 2006)
Do American and Israel want the Middle East engulfed by civil war?, Jonathan Cook (19 December 2006)
Under an iron fist, Karma Nabulsi (19 December 2006)
Palestinian civil war or renewed national aspirations? Michael F. Brown (18 December 2006)
Fundamental attribution error, Rima Merriman (16 December 2006)
Palestine on the brink of civil war?, Nigel Parry (15 December 2006)
The trap of recognising Israel, Jonathan Cook (14 December 2006)
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| Hamas militants step on a picture of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they take over the Rafah Border Crossing, southern Gaza Strip, 15 June 2007. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages) |
Updates
Dubious EU
support to US challenged, David Cronin (26 July 2007)
Prisoners released -- to Abbas, Peter Hirschberg (23 July 2007)
New Bush initiative met with skepticism, Jim Lobe (17 July 2007)
Cairo changes tack on Gaza, Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, (17 July 2007)
Death of detainee prompts calls for investigation, Various undersigned, (16 July 2007)
Nine university students kidnapped in Gaza, PCHR (3 July 2007)
36 killed, 250 wounded in 24 hours of Gaza fighting, PCHR (14 June 2007)
UN agency scales back operations in Gaza after two workers killed, IRIN (13 June 2007)
Patients killed as gunmen storm Gaza hospitals, IRIN (12 June 2007)
Gaza battles kill 21, injure 150, PCHR (12 June 2007)
Humanitarian work resumes in Gaza as factional fighting ends, IRIN (23 May 2007)
Hamas-Fatah ceasefire comes after bloody week, PCHR (20 May 2007)
Gaza violence hampering aid deliveries, IRIN (18 May 2007)
38 Killed in Week of Gaza Infighting, PCHR (17 May 2007)
Situation report: Rising death toll in Gaza, UN OCHA (16 May 2007)
Eighteen killed in two days of Gaza fighting, Al Mezan (15 May 2007)
Four Palestinians Killed and 30 Injured in Internal Fighting, PCHR (14 May 2007)
Palestinian killed and seven wounded in Rafah fighting, PCHR (8 May 2007)
State of insecurity escalates; BBC's Johnston remains kidnapped, Al Mezan (10 April 2007)
Two-year-old killed in renewed factional violence, Ma'an News Agency (23 March 2007)
Norway normalises relations with Palestinian Unity Government, NMFA (17 March 2007)
UN Secretary-General welcomes news of Palestinian unity government, UN News (15 March 2007)
Woman kidnapped and killed in Gaza, Al Mezan (15 March 2007)
One Killed, 14 Wounded in Gaza Strip internal violence, PCHR (14 March 2007)
Clashes between Fatah and Hamas renewed in Beit Hanoun, Mezan (11 March 2007)
After Mecca: Engaging Hamas, ICG (28 February 2007)
UN official urges world community to match 'courage' of Palestinian unity government, UN News (27 February 2007)
UN Secretary General praises unity accord, UN News Service (9 February 2007)
UN Agencies in occupied Palestinian territory "extremely alarmed" by security situation in Gaza, UN HCHR (5 February 2007)
Gaza fighting threatening aid, says UN, IRIN (5 February 2007)
War Enters the Classrooms, Jon Elmer (5 February 2007)
Along the Lines of the Bloodiest Israeli Incursions, PCHR (4 February 2007)
Bloody fighting between Hamas and Fatah continues in Gaza, Ma'an News (2 February 2007)
OCHA: Gaza Situation Report, UN OCHA (31 January 2007)
Al Mezan alarmed at internal fighting in Gaza, Al Mezan (31 January 2007)
Palestinian killed by unknown gunmen; another injured, PCHR (31 January 2007)
Civilians caught in the crossfire, IRIN (30 January 2007)
PCHR: National Unity Essential, PCHR (30 January 2007)
Seven killed, 14 kidnapped in continued armed clashes, PCHR (29 January 2007)
Four More Killed in Clashes between Armed Groups and Security Forces, PCHR (28 January 2007)
Are We Proud of This?!, PCHR (27 January 2007)
One killed, three kidnapped in Gaza and West Bank lawlessness, PCHR (24 January 2007)
Misuse of weapons kills two women, injures four in Gaza Strip, PCHR (23 January 2007)
Two Killed and Five Injured in Gaza Weapons Mishandling, PCHR (21 January 2007)
One death in Nablus in weapons misuse, PCHR (9 January 2007)
One killed, several injured in continued factional fighting, PCHR (24 December 2006)
Fearing Civil Wars, Cairo Counsels Restraint, IPS (22 December 2006)
PCHR Condemns Escalating Violence between Fatah and Hamas Movements, PCHR (19 December 2006)
"I can't believe I'm still alive," IRIN (18 December 2006)
Gaza violence shuts schools, IRIN (18 December 2006)
Palestinian Human Rights Groups Call for National Dialogue, Various Undersigned (17 December 2006)
Human Rights Updates on Security Crisis and Proliferation of Small Arms, PCHR (13 December 2006)
UNICEF speaks to memory of boys killed in Gaza, UNICEF (13 December 2006)
Human rights organizations respond to Gaza shooting, PCHR (11 December 2006)
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| Palestinian children sit next to the body of two-year-old Yehya Abu Bakrah during his funeral in the southern Gaza Strip, 27 January 2007. Rival Palestinian factions clashed in the Gaza Strip on Friday 26 January 2007, killing 15 people, including two-year-old Yehya. (MaanImages/Hatem Omar) |
Diaries
At the doors of Gaza, Husam El Nounou writing from al-Areesh, Egypt (5 July 2007)
Hello from Rafah, Yassmin Moor writing from Gaza, Occupied Palestine (4 July 2007)
The failing of Gaza, Philip Rizk writing from Gaza City (28 June 2007)
Foes in Gaza, roommates in Cairo hospital, Rami Almeghari writing from Cairo, Egypt (25 June 2007)
The desecration of democracy, Philip Rizk writing from Gaza City (22 June 2007)
Awaking to a different Gaza, Philip Rizk writing from Gaza City (15 June 2007)
The ghostly streets, the ghostly skies, Laila El-Haddad writing from Gaza City (18 May 2007)
As Gaza Burns, Laila El-Haddad writing from Gaza City (16 May 2007)
A double Nakba in Gaza, Rami Almeghari writing from the Gaza Strip (15 May 2007)
Gaza: Calm before the storm, Philip Rizk writing from Gaza City (13 May 2007)
In Gaza, chaos versus democracy and democracy versus chaos, Rami Almeghari writing from the Gaza Strip (9 May 2007)
Bleak reality in Gaza gives rise to dreams of emigration, Yousef Alhelou writing from the Gaza Strip (4 May 2007)
Bombing of American school: Gaza's latest nightmare, Rami Almeghari writing from the Gaza Strip (21 April 2007)
Volleyball and Civil War, Philip Rizk writing from Gaza City (6 March 2007)
"We don't need either Hamas or Fatah", Rami Almeghari writing from the Gaza Strip (3 February 2007)
Hope is a scarce commodity, Eoin Murray writing from the Gaza Strip, occuped Palestine (29 January 2007)
This is what democracy looks like, Eoin Murray writing from Gaza City, occupied Palestine (18 January 2007)
When Birds are No Longer Birds: An Allegory, Rami Almeghari writing from Gaza, occupied Palestine (8 January 2007)
Who has failed?, Rami Almeghari (17 December 2006)
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| Palestinian children in the West Bank city of Hebron hold banners as they protest internal Palestinian clashes 27 January 2007. (MaanImages/Mamoun Wazwaz) |
Related Links
Letter: European inaction and complicity as Gaza burns, Ali Abunimah (6 November 2006)
A re-run of the Lebanon war in Palestine?, Hasan Abu Nimah and Ali Abunimah (11 October 2006)
Paralysis of the Palestinian 'Authority': What's to be done?, Rima Merriman (2 October 2006)
The (Anti-) Palestinian Authority, Joseph Massad (18 June 2006)
Dangerous dirty tricks in Palestine, Ali Abunimah (6 June 2006)
Helping Israel kill Palestinians, Ali Abunimah (10 May 2006)
Hamas Election Victory: A Vote for Clarity, Ali Abunimah (26 January 2006)
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