Although attention naturally is focused on possible ripple effects on Lebanon from Syria’s conflict, it would be wrong to ignore the unresolved legacy of the battle that shook the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp five years ago. The risk of renewed flare-up, already significant, is now compounded by the regional crisis.
A UN resolution endorsing Palestinian statehood should produce a tangible gain for the Palestinians while providing some reassurance to Israelis, and, above all, be followed by maximum, collective restraint to prevent a cycle of mutual retaliation that would work to the detriment of all.
The reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is frozen, but implementation is necessary to minimise the risk of Israeli-Palestinian violence and bring about a Palestinian leadership able to reach and carry out peace with Israel.
Nathan Thrall, Crisis Group’s Middle East Analyst, talks about radical Islam in Gaza, and the relation between Hamas, the Islamic movement in control of the strip, and radical Islamist groups, and the challenges they pose.
Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian factions, signed in Cairo a historic reconciliation deal ending four years of Palestinian division. Azmi Kishawi, researcher with Crisis Group in Gaza, talks about the timing, content, and future of this deal.
The dangerous escalation between Israel and Hamas demonstrates once more the need for both a fresh approach toward Gaza and a better understanding of Hamas’s relationship with rival Islamist groups.
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