Is the Palestinian Civil War Coming to an End?

A high-powered Fatah delegation on a visit to Gaza Feb. 11 continued its meetings with the leaders of Hamas. The two sides have been discussing ways of implementing the understanding they reached on ending the intra-Palestinian conflict and will continue to try to reach a power-sharing settlement. Two days earlier at a news conference, Hamas Politburo member Khalil al-Hayyah and Fatah Central Committee Member Nabil Shaath said talks were in the implementation stage after having reached an agreement ending a nearly seven-year civil war. 

Given that the two groups have failed to reconcile for years, it is unclear that this latest move will succeed. However, it is significant that a senior Fatah official traveled to Gaza to meet with Hamas leaders, and both sides are using unprecedented conciliatory language. The progress made thus far is due to the confluence of numerous regional dynamics and could lead to a breakthrough. If it were reached, an intra-Palestinian rapprochement would complicate matters for Israel, which is already dealing with a very difficult geopolitical environment, considering the shifts underway in Syria, Iran and Egypt. It could also complicate the U.S.-led effort to restart Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.