The Daily Star
by David Ignatius

Palestinian politicians have been busy of late, putting together one of their most determined, powerful performances in recent memory – to wreck any gains that might have been made during this summer’s military conflict with Israel.

The sniping between officials from Fatah and Hamas shows that their relationship has reverted to “normal,” meaning an inability to put aside differences for the greater national good. Palestinian politics have long suffered from this phenomenon, as past decades have seen third party after third party step in to try and bridge the gaps, leading to a vicious circle of depending on “foreign” political intervention.

This time the irony couldn’t be higher; the explosion of hostilities in Gaza saw Palestinians gain greater levels of international sympathy, as more people around the world became fed up with hearing Israel’s tired excuses and justifications.

Perhaps Palestinian politicians should be reminded that the war has yet to produce any movement on the core demands related to lifting Israel’s blockade of Gaza; perhaps they should be reminded that in the wake of the hostilities, Israel felt confident enough to stage the largest land grab of occupied territory in several decades.

By letting their rivalry get the better of their judgment, Palestinian politicians are wasting all of the time and effort that was put into producing their “unity” agreement, which was announced with such fanfare earlier this year. They are acting as if tens of thousands of people in Gaza have overcome the dire humanitarian crisis they face, and as if they have no danger of losing any further land to the Israelis.

In short, Palestinian leaders are performing in a way that only an Israeli leader can love.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2014/Sep-09/269997-back-to-abnormal.ashx#ixzz3CnpAfmpX
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