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Hamas and Fatah — the Palestinian factions |
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HAMAS
Hamas is an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Group, which was founded in 1987 by the blind cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (assassinated by Israel several years ago) with strongholds in the Gaza Strip.
Responsible for many terrorist attacks on 'soft' targets in Israel, it remains committed to the destruction of the Jewish state.
Its network of welfare and educational services and reputation for honesty led to a shock victory over the ruling Fatah party in elections last year, after which Hamas veteran Ismail Haniyeh (right, back) became prime minister. His government was subjected to sanctions by Israel and its allies.
Hamas has lost considerable support on the Palestinian "street" and its power struggle with Fatah recently spilled over into bloody factional clashes in Gaza. |
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FATAH
Fatah evolved from a guerrilla resistance group founded by Yasser Arafat and others in the late 1950s to fight against Israel. It subsequently evolved into the dominant faction within the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Fatah then assumed power in the newly formed Palestinian Authority which has nominally governed Gaza and the West Bank since 1994, acquiring a well-deserved reputation for corruption and influence peddling that alienated many former supporters.
Since its humiliating electoral defeat in 2006, Fatah - now led by the enfeebled Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (left, front) - is believed to have been sounding out potential allies among more radical Islamic factions opposed to Hamas on the basis that "my enemy's enemy is my friend".
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