Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

FATAH, AL • 183fused voters, and electioneering and coaching of illiterate voters wereclearly evident in the last two rounds, whose results were unclear andbitterly disputed. A planned fifth round of elections was canceled dueto increasing strains between al Fatah and Hamas.The 25 January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, in which74.6 percent of eligible voters participated, gave Hamas 74 seats to alFatah’s 45, while the PFLP gained three seats, a DFLP-led coalitiongained two seats, and various independents gained eight seats. Al Fatah’sdecline in seats was probably in part due to disaffection amongPalestinians with corruption in the PA but also due to the much betterpolitical organization and campaigning by Hamas. The split in powerbetween a Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council and anal Fatah–dominated Executive led to a series of verbal and physicalclashes between Hamas and al Fatah, as well as a cutoff of U.S. andEuropean Union aid to the PA due to the unwillingness of Hamas torecognize the existence of the State of Israel in accordance with theOslo Accords. In September 2006 al Fatah and Hamas attempted toform a coalition cabinet, but an effective coalition government wasnot formed and approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council until17 March 2007, in which Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas would serve asprime minister and the previous Hamas-dominated cabinet would bereplaced by an al Fatah–Hamas coalition cabinet.Beginning on 7 June 2007, fighting broke out between supportersof al Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, leading to a complete takeoverof Gaza by Hamas on 15 June. On 14 June President MahmoudAbbas dismissed the Hamas-led PA government. Control over thePalestinians was split in two, with Hamas in complete control ofGaza and al Fatah in control of the West Bank. With the authority ofthe Abbas-led government remaining in the West Bank in doubt, thepeace negotiations with Israel came to a virtual halt. On 27 November2007, PA President Abbas met with President George W. Bushand Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Annapolis, Maryland, totry to resume the peace process. Although Israel has been a longtimeopponent of al Fatah, the split among the Palestinians dating fromJune 2007 had strengthened Israel’s position against the Palestinians.Therefore it would be in the interest of Israel to prevent al Fatah frombecoming further weakened and losing control of the West Bank toHamas, which has become a more dangerous long-term opponent.For its part, the United States has also tried to prevent the further