Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

236 • HAMASal Fatah–dominated Executive led to a series of verbal and physicalclashes between Hamas and al Fatah. In 2006, 242 Palestinians werekilled in these clashes, while in the first few months of 2007 at least147 Palestinians were killed in factional fighting. The election of aHamas government led also to a cutoff of U.S. and European Unionaid to the PA due to the unwillingness of Hamas to recognize theexistence of the State of Israel in accordance with the Oslo Accords.In September 2006 al Fatah and Hamas attempted to form a coalitioncabinet, but an effective coalition government, in which IsmailHaniyeh of Hamas would serve as prime minister and the previousHamas-dominated cabinet would be replaced by an al Fatah–Hamascoalition cabinet, was not formed and approved by the PalestinianLegislative Council until 17 March 2007.Following Israel’s September 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, therewere only five incidents of anti-Israeli attacks by Hamas until 9 June2006, when a bombing on a Gaza beach that killed eight Palestiniancivilians was blamed on Israel. Ensuing clashes led to the kidnappingby Hamas of Israeli Defense Forces Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who wasseized on 25 June 2006, to which Israel responded with a militaryoperation on 28 June involving the seizing of 64 Hamas officials, includingeight PA cabinet ministers and 20 members of the PalestinianLegislative Council. This fighting was overshadowed by the Israeli-Lebanese conflict during July and August. In September Hamas accepteda hudna, or formal cease-fire, with Israel while negotiationsfor the release and return of Shalit continued.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 PA President MahmoudAbbas dismissed the Hamas-led PA government. Control overthe Palestinians 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 undermined,there was a hiatus in the peace negotiations with Israel until 27 November2007, when Abbas met with President George W. Bush andIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Elmert in Annapolis, Maryland. Thesenegotiations were the first in which the Palestinians participated asan independent delegation and marked the first time that both thePalestinians and Israelis agreed to a two-state solution, a positionbitterly opposed by Hamas. Meanwhile, Hamas has become more