That Hudna Didn't Last Long, Either
Ed Morrissey
Remember the wedding between Hamas and Fatah, and the big reception held by the Saudis in Mecca? It seems that the bride and groom have started consulting lawyers already:
In another sign of tension with Hamas over a possible national unity government, the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah faction, canceled a televised speech scheduled for Thursday night, his aides said Wednesday.
In the speech, Mr. Abbas was to have told Palestinians about his talks with Hamas leaders in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. But those talks, which ended last Thursday with a proclamation of success, left many details unresolved, including who would fill key posts like interior minister, which controls the Hamas-dominated parallel police force, known as the Executive Force. The details of a political program for the new government are also unclear. ...
That truce seemed doomed from the start. Abbas tried to get Hamas to incorporate itself into Fatah in order to short-circuit the sanctions that have crippled the Palestinian Authority. That would have forced Khaled Mashaal to answer to Abbas and accept the two-state solution, and so it failed. Instead, the two factions declared their unity for the five-millionth time, and this time was shorter than most. ...
