Waiting for a Glimpse of Hope

Monday, 05 February 2007
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

The call of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque, for the leaders of Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, to meet at Makkah Tuesday has come at a very critical time.

It’s a sincere call from a country that has always proved its support to the Arab and Palestinian issues. At the same time, it’s directed at putting an end to the violence that has cost more than two dozen lives in Gaza, in the deadliest round of clashes since Hamas came to power a year ago.
The recent deadly violence in the occupied Strip has added more to the misery of the Palestinian people who have suffered the practices of the occupation and the international isolation that was led by the United States for no reason other than the Palestinians’ exercise of their democratic right to choose their own government.

King Abdullah’s awareness of the sensitivity of the situation in the Middle East has also led him to choose Makkah as a place for the meeting. The choice was based on the special statues that Makkah has in the hearts of Muslims around the glob.

Bringing together the different parties in a country that has no interest in exacerbating the disputes among Palestinian and away from the influence of those who work hard to inflame the situation among Muslims in the region, was also another wise step by the King that should be appreciated.

Also the fact that the ruling Hamas movement and Fatah both immediately welcomed the King’s offer reflected the good intention of both parties.

However, the agreement to come together and discuss the issue is not enough by itself. They must seriously consider the consequences of any new failure, as this could be their last chance for survival. The call was preceded by a tragic failure of a long-awaited meeting convened in Damascus between Khaled Meshaal and Mahmoud Abbas last month to achieve a final agreement.

That failure and the bloody consequences should be motivation for both leaders to go beyond their own interests.

They should also come to Makkah with open minds and a sincere desire to bridge the gap. They must demonstrate a willingness to compromise in order to lead their people to a safe destination.

Fighting over a powerless and near-bankrupt authority is not going to achieve the goals of any party.

The leaders must be aware that losing dozens of lives in such a short period would not support their international stand. On the contrary, it would paint them as terrorists and killers who care about nothing but power even if over a weak and occupied piece of land. It will also create a deeper division among their supporters at a time when they are in a dire need to stand united against Israeli occupation.

More importantly, the leaders should remain on guard against the bad intentions of certain elements within both camps that are pushing for a conflict between Fatah and Hamas to serve their own selfish political and personal ends.

Palestinian leaders must know that unity is an attainable goal if strong will and good intentions were fully incorporated. An independent state that stands strong in front of danger cannot be realized by guns or over dead bodies.

Abbas and Meshaal must now solicit the hearts and minds of people in the Muslim and Western worlds who look towards Makkah for a glimpse of hope. Letting them down means the end to the Palestinian dream, which is the ultimate goal of their enemies.