Fatah and Hamas: The New Palestinian Factional Reality

Abstract

For the first time in its history, the Palestinian parliament is set to be led by Hamas, which the United States and European Union have designated a foreign terrorist organization. Although some lauded the generally free and fair election in January 2006, others criticized the outcome and accused Hamas of "hijacking" democracy. This report provides an overview of the new political realities in the West Bank and Gaza after the election, the challenges Fatah and Hamas face, and possible implications for U.S. policy. This report will be updated as warranted. For more information on the Palestinians, see CRS Report RL33269, "Palestinian Elections," by Aaron D. Pina, CRS Issue Brief IB91137 "The Middle East Peace Talks," by Carol Migdalovitz, and CRS Report RS22370, "U.S. Assistance to the Palestinians," by Jeremy M. Sharp.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 03, 2006
Accession Number
ADA458970

Entities

People

  • Aaron D. Pina

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Congress
  • Elections
  • European Union
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Industrial Engineering
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Middle East
  • Negotiations
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Violence

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.