Five Palestinian factions launch new party to end split and challenge Israel

A new Palestinian party has been established that seeks a united front against Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and an end to divisions between Fatah and Gaza’s rulers Hamas.

Five Palestinian factions said they were seeking to break the duopoly of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who presides over the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Hamas, the movement that has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The new party is to be known as “the Democratic Caucus” or the “Palestinian Democratic Group”, and was launched formally in the West Bank city of Ramallah and the Gaza Strip on January 3.

Leaders in the group said they would work towards holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and protecting human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Qais Abu Layla, one of the officials leading the new coalition, said that one of its primary aims is to prevent the fragmentation of the Palestinian parties seeking to end Israel’s 51-year occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Mr Abu Layla said the Palestinian Authority and Hamas – which operate parallel governments in the West Bank and Gaza – were to blame for the split and that Palestinians needed another political option. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are yet to respond to the creation of the new party.

Mr Abu Layla suggested that new elections be held within six months in a bid to end the Palestinian split.

Elections were last held in 2006 and have been postponed indefinitely because of the political discord between rival factions.

Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Mr Abbas’s government in 2007. Efforts to reconcile the two parties have yet to yield results.

The launch of a new party is a sign of the desire for new ideas in the West Bank and Gaza, where Israel has tightened its grip on large areas of occupied territory during years of political stalemate.

The hard-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to build settlements largely unopposed and the US last year relocated its embassy to Jerusalem, effectively recognising the city as Israel’s capital.

The new party appears to be a move to unite Palestinians around basic agreed principles, such as a united political front against Israel, which is widely perceived to be actively working to maintain the Palestinian split and even widen it.

Many Palestinians are disenchanted with Mr Abbas and almost two thirds of West Bank Palestinians want him to resign.

They complain that Mr Abbas has failed to deliver progress on the peace process with Israel and his co-operation with Israel, particularly on matters of security, are deeply unpopular.

He has also sought to oust rival politicians – such as former chief for Fatah in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, who now resides in Abu Dhabi. It is unclear whether or not this new party will face any reprisals from the Palestinian Authority or Hamas in Gaza for trying to challenge their rule.

The new party will also face a significant challenge to generate support and convince Palestinians that they can be trusted.

Many Palestinians have lost interest or hope in politics after a series of failed promises by representatives in the West Bank and Gaza.

Almost two thirds of West Bank Palestinians are disenchanted with Mr Abbas and want him to resign