Grapevine

By Al Jazeera
Jul 26, 2024

‘Pressure for this to succeed’: Will Fatah-Hamas unity deal hold?

It remains to be seen if there’s political will within Fatah while Israel may try to derail the agreement, analysts say.

Palestinian factions signed a “national unity” deal on Tuesday, raising hope and doubt that rival movements can reconcile their ideological differences and bitter history to lobby for an end to Israel’s occupation, analysts say.

“A dose of scepticism is warranted, but I’m hopeful this agreement will stick,” said Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel-Palestine for the Middle East Council on Global Affairs think tank in Doha, Qatar.

“There is pressure for this to succeed, given the context … in Gaza and the West Bank. I think all sides know this needs to happen,” said Rahman, referring to the urgency brought on by the war in Gaza and the uptick in settler violence and land confiscation in the occupied West Bank.