What chances for Arab League mediation in Lebanon? Dina Ezzat searches for answers Hamas and Fatah leaders were due to start crucial talks in Mecca yesterday aimed at reaching a final agreement on forming a national unity government, ending weeks of conflict that has left dozens of Palestinians dead. Delegations from Fatah and Hamas arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday and were received separately by Saudi King Abdullah. The Fatah delegation is headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and includes Mohamed Dahlan, Nabil Amr, Azzam Al-Ahmed and Rawhi Fattuh. Hamas's delegation is headed by Khalid Masha'al, the Damascus- based chief of Hamas's politburo, and includes Moussa Abu Marzuq and Mohamed Nazzal, both from the Gaza Strip, alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniya and Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahhar. The talks, dubbed by some a "last chance," have been greeted optimistically by both sides. Agreement has reportedly already been reached on almost all outstanding issues, including the division of ministerial portfolios, though in the past talks have failed despite both sides claiming to have reached concordance on "99 per cent" of divisive issues. Last week's bloody infighting in Gaza, which included the burning of the Islamic University of Gaza, will cast a grim shadow over the talks, reminding all of the costs of failure. According to the draft agreement between the two sides, of which Al-Ahram Weekly has obtained a copy, the national unity government will comprise cabinet ministers and deputy ministers representing virtually every Palestinian political faction, including small leftist and liberal parties alongside Hamas and Fatah. The incumbent Prime Minister Ismael Haniya will retain his job, while former Finance Minister Salam Fayyadh, an independent, will return to government as deputy Prime Minister. Ziad Abu Amr, an independent with good ties to Hamas, is likely to be the next Palestinian foreign minister. Hamas also intends to present several candidates for the contentious post of interior minister. The two sides have also agreed to general guidelines for the reformation of the PLO, under which Hamas and Islamic Jihad would join. The PLO has been dominated by Fatah since its creation more than 40 years ago. The two sides are also expected to discuss the overhaul of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian security apparatus, which Hamas insists must be restructured to make it more representative. Currently, it is perceived as a Fatah monopoly. Reaching agreement on a national unity government, though, is just one among many hurdles facing Fatah and Hamas. Mistrust between the two sides, and the bitterness and heavy psychological burden of the recent bloody showdown, will take a long time to heal even if both sides display good will and a willingness to reconcile. Nor is it clear whether the leaderships of Hamas and Fatah will be able, in the short run, to control their respective militias, especially in the Gaza Strip where lawlessness has become the norm. And the situation is further compounded by Israel's determination to do whatever it can to prolong the inter-Palestinian conflict. Hamas and Fatah leaders in the West Bank have finally paid attention to this dimension of Palestinian travails and now agree all "faceless gunmen", irrespective of their affiliations, who attack individuals or institutions, are "agents of Israeli intelligence" and will be treated accordingly. The greatest threat to any national unity government, though, is likely to come from American interference. The Bush administration is perceived by many as actively pushing for civil war in the occupied territories, hectoring Abbas and Fatah to radicalise their position towards Hamas and providing funding and arms to the Fatah leadership to shore up its position vis-à-vis Hamas. American sources were quoted earlier this week as saying the US was contemplating the creation of a 10,000--strong Fatah force. Its raison d'être is unlikely to be the liberation of occupied Palestinian territories but rather fighting Hamas on Israel's behalf. Israel, too, is showing concern about the Mecca talks, with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning Abbas against forming a national unity government with Hamas. Olmert, who a few months ago incorporated Avigdor Leiberman, leader of the far-right Israeli Beitenu Party, into his government, was quoted as saying that "Israel will not deal with a government that includes Hamas until it recognises Israel." Olmert's anxiety over the prospects of a Palestinian national unity government, though, has little to do with the issue of Hamas's recognition or non-recognition of Israel and far more with Israel's desire to avoid resuming peace talks and continue building settlements to complete the Judaisation of East Jerusalem. Israel is also worried that a Palestinian national unity government would create international pressure on Israel to resume the peace process, even without Hamas meeting the Quartet's conditions, which include recognition of Israel, abandoning armed resistance and accepting past agreements between Israel and the PA. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Israeli bulldozers unearthed an ancient entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque, drawing angry reaction across the occupied Palestinian territories. Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, described the bulldozing as the first step towards the demolition of Al-Aqsa Mosque, something long demanded by Israel's right.
