But the effects of the Mecca agreements will have to be felt fast. Indeed, while Palestinian leaders hammer out their political differences, violence continues on the streets of Gaza. In addition, Israel and the Quartet (excluding Russia) are doing all they can to derail the Saudi initiative by downplaying Palestinian efforts and reaffirming their hypocritical conditions for negotiations. Their responses thus far have been nothing short of a flat-out rejection, stating that the new Palestinian government must recognize Israel’s “right to exist,” a condition with as little legal weight as a feather on a windy day: states don’t have rights. Furthermore, Israel is exploiting every minute of Palestinian disunity to further its colonial goals. While international attention remains fixed on negotiations in Mecca, Israel is expanding illegal settlements throughout the West Bank, fortifying its Apartheid wall in east Jerusalem, and conducting controversial excavations at the al-Aqsa mosque,7 Islam’s third holiest site, thus enraging Muslims across the world.

Suffice it to say that neither the US nor Israel seems willing to accept any form of Palestinian unity that doesn’t conform to the unrealistic conditions set forth by the Quartet: recognize Israel’s “right” to exist while denouncing its own right to resist Israeli colonization. By rejecting the Prisoners’ Document as the basis for a new Palestinian government, it seems that the international community is once again prepared to hold out for greater political concessions and more Palestinian bloodshed. Indeed, while the EU and UN ignore Palestinian efforts for unity, the US and Israel have pursued a military option by using Abbas and Fatah to fight a proxy war against Hamas.

The most basic of historical experience teaches us that Palestinian disunity only benefits Israel. Hoping to impose its own recipe for solving the conflict, one based on a unilateral withdrawal from minor settlements and the annexation of large chunks of Palestinian territory including east Jerusalem, the Israeli government is content to see factional conflict lead to widespread desperation and greater concessions. From afar, it seems that Palestinians have few options available to them except to resolve internal divisions and return to the principles of the prisoners’ document in order to form a new government and avert a civil war. Whether or not the Mecca Accords and new government will end the sanctions remains to be seen but, from a Palestinian standpoint, the effort can at least provide the basis for a much-needed unity that can effectively confront the world community and continue its struggle for freedom and justice.

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