After bloody clashes with militias linked to Fatah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Islamic organization Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip on June 13.

Sensationalized media headlines across the world described this as “civil war,” yet the vast majority of Palestinians took no part in the clashes. Instead, this was a struggle for power between Hamas and Fatah and had little to do with “Palestinian national unity,” despite the claims of both sides. And as usual, the impoverished majority of Palestinians suffered the consequences. On this occasion, 120 people died with over 500 casualties, many of them civilians.

The majority of Palestinians were terrified. The latest clashes piled even more despair on a desperate population. Despite these conditions, as television footage showed, a heroic minority were prepared to come out on the streets to disarm militia men with their bare hands! If large independent Palestinian working-class organizations existed in Gaza, they could have organized such actions on a mass scale, which could have held back the militias from taking over the streets.

U.S. imperialism and the regional capitalist powers have shown out-and-out hypocrisy in their response, decrying “Hamas’ coup.” They rushed to defend Fatah, the same organization that in previous years they described as “terrorist.” The Bush administration demanded “democracy” in the Middle East. But when Palestinians elected Hamas to power in a free and fair election in 2006, U.S. imperialism, working with the Saudi dictatorship, did its utmost to remove it from power.

Institutionalized Oppression
The repercussions of Hamas’s defeat of Fatah in Gaza will exponentially add to tensions across the region.

Who talks of peace now? Who even remembers the Oslo peace accords signed by the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993 and supported by the U.S. government, which most capitalist commentators said would lead to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? See what happens when you mention Bush’s 2003 “road map to peace.” Palestinians will point to the photo galleries of their loved ones, cut down in the prime of life, casualties of the murderous, imperialist-backed occupation by the Israeli military.

Every time imperialist and regional capitalist politicians come up with a new proposal, none of the real problems of national oppression and mass poverty are actually addressed. In fact, they get worse.

The so-called peace agreements have been designed to institutionalize Palestinian oppression. This is because capitalism and imperialism cannot afford the political and financial costs of genuine Palestinian liberation. The Oslo accords, which led to the formation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), installed the Yasser Arafat-led Fatah wing of the PLO into power.

However, the PLO leadership rapidly lost authority among Palestinians because of endemic corruption, spiraling poverty, and no abatement of Israeli military attacks. This led to growth in support for Hamas, which was seen as a more honest alternative to Fatah.

Ever since Hamas’ victory in last year’s elections, U.S. imperialism, the EU powers, and Israeli capitalism have implemented collective punishment on the Palestinians for “voting the wrong way.” The intention was to force out the Hamas government. The Israeli regime withheld $800 million in tax receipts that were owed to the Palestinian government. The EU and U.S. cut off economic aid. At the same time, the Israeli military continued a bombardment against Gaza and the West Bank, killing over 700 Palestinians.

Now, Palestine consists of two statelets, one controlled by Hamas in Gaza, and the other on the West Bank supported by Israel, the U.S., and EU with Fatah as the major force. Given the terrible and deteriorating social and economic situation, more conflict is on the agenda.

Now What?
It is not clear whether Hamas will attempt to attack Fatah offices and leaders in the West Bank or step up rocket attacks on southern Israel. While the evidence suggests that Hamas carefully planned its takeover, as in its January 2006 election victory its leaders were surprised by the ease with which it was accomplished.

This is because many Fatah militia men were paid fighters and not ideologically motivated. During the armed confrontations, Fatah organizations in Gaza fractured, with big sections going over to Hamas. Fatah fighters had no real confidence in their leaders, some of whom were renowned for their acceptance of Israeli domination, corruption, and links with criminal gangs in the Gaza Strip.
It is not clear to what extent Hamas will apply strict Islamic law. Despite claims by Hamas spokespeople on June 13 that Gaza was an Islamic state, it is more likely they will tread carefully.

However much the Hamas leadership boasts about the ease of their victory, the measures they take will be based on how much support they think they have among the Palestinian people. Hamas leaders understand this has fallen in the last few months.

The immediate calls for an “international force” to be stationed in Gaza have evaporated into thin air. This would be a suicide mission for any country involved. It may be that some sort of UN force could be deployed along the Gaza-Egyptian border, but this would also be risky for the countries involved.

Tension has increased as the Israeli regime has cut off fuel supplies to all outlets except the main power station. There are press reports that new Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is calling for a ground invasion of 20,000 Israeli troops to wipe out militias firing rockets on southern Israel. This is not the most likely immediate outcome, since the Israeli military wants to avoid a repeat of the debacle they faced in Lebanon in summer 2006, when they committed ground troops to “destroy Hezbollah.” However, new Israeli military incursions into Gaza cannot be ruled out in the next few months, especially if rocket attacks continue.

Under these circumstances, the impression is given that workers and young people across the region can do nothing. But the alternative is a further drift into bloody conflict. In fact, the conditions are there for a struggle against capitalism and poverty on both sides of the national divide.

Independent Working-class Movement
Like many Palestinians, the CWI does not support the political positions of either the Fatah or Hamas leadership. Unfortunately, recent developments have proved embarrassing for some left groups internationally who have supported both of these organizations over the years.

Hamas’ politics, although couched in anti-imperialistic rhetoric, are hostile to the workers’ movement and socialism. Their military attacks on Israeli civilians are incorrect and counter-productive. Fatah’s policies have zigzagged over the years between exerting diplomatic pressure on the imperialist powers to grant Palestinian national liberation or carrying out armed attacks against Israeli civilians. As the present situation in the Palestinian areas shows, none of these tactics have worked.

Only an independent working-class movement on both sides of the national divide offers a way forward for the region. If a mass movement of Palestinians had developed in Gaza and the West Bank, in opposition to the murderous tactics of the Fatah and Hamas militias and demanding fundamental social change while defending the rights of all nationalities, this would have had a massive effect in Israel.

For it is not just among the Palestinians that there is deep discontent with the ruling class. The Israeli elite have never had such lack of authority in their history. The army chief had to be replaced because of the Lebanon defeat. The finance minister faces accusations of siphoning money off from a charity that organizes tours of concentration camp sites in Europe. Olmert, the prime minister, has only 1-2% support. There is unprecedented wealth polarization in Israel.

An opinion poll by Near East Consulting one week before the latest Gaza clashes showed that 50% of Palestinians trusted neither Abbas nor Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister. Over 60% think rocket attacks have no positive effects.
Imperialism has nothing to offer Palestinians and Israelis alike but more suffering. Hopes for a UN-mediated solution will be sorely disappointed.

The majority of Israelis and Palestinians have no trust in their ruling elites solving the present conflict. Movements based on the interests of the majority on both sides of the national divide need to be built, dedicated to the overthrow of the capitalist system that perpetuates division and conflict.