PalArabs skeptical about Hamas/Fatah unity

Even though there are regular stories in the Palestinian Arabic press that Hamas and Fatah are close to reconciliation, they are all a sham, according to Palestine Today.

For years now there have been regular stories about Hamas and Fatah being close to a deal, sometimes facilitated by Egypt or Turkey. Leaders of both movements have also publicly said that a unification deal is very close, all while blaming the other side for their intransigence.

The newspaper says that while there are regular "leaks" about secret meetings between the two sides, they are only made for media consumption and reflect wishful thinking rather than reality.

PalToday also interviews the editor of Ma'an, Nasser al-Lahham, who says that the Palestinian Arabs are not fooled and quite aware that real conciliation between the two sides is "almost impossible."

al-Lahham said that he doesn't want a unification agreement - he wants elections that would determine who should lead the Palestinian Arabs, as neither side has any legitimacy and both of them remain in power through force, not through popular will.

Palestinian Arab territory-wide elections, of course, are not happening any time in the foreseeable future.

It's really sad that such obvious facts - a major elephant in the room that is a prerequisite to any peace agreement - are continuously skated over by the West in their quest for the holy "peace process" that has nothing to do with peace.