Palestinian Unity Deal in a Changing Middle East
Videos

Palestinian Unity Deal in a Changing Middle East

February 8, 2012 10:55 am (EST)

Palestinian Unity Deal in a Changing Middle East
Explainer Video

The February 6 Doha Declaration, a unity deal between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, is indicative of "the changing dynamics in the region," says CFR’s Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies Robert M. Danin. Egypt, Fatah’s traditional backer, and Syria, Hamas’s traditional supporter, were both notably absent from the negotiations while Qatar emerged as a new player and brokered the deal, he says. Alongside the emergence of Qatar, Danin also emphasizes the growing role Jordan has been playing in sponsoring talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Danin cautions that the Qatari unity track and the Jordanian peace track are "going to collide at some point, if not very soon." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is exploring possibilities of returning to the negotiating table with Israel while reconciling with Hamas, an organization implacably opposed to Israel’s existence, Danin says. "It’s almost impossible to conceive of a way he can have both."

The unity agreement stipulates that President Abbas would serve both as president and as prime minister. This has led to a strong negative reaction "from both elements within Fatah and elements within Hamas," Danin says. The concern on both sides is that President Abbas is "aggregating too much power, just as his predecessor Yasser Arafat did," he adds.

Top Stories on CFR

United States

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Joe Biden doesn’t want one of America’s closest allies to buy a once iconic American company.

Immigration and Migration

Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border.

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?