The Mecca accord reached last week between Fatah and Hamas, rather between President Mahmud Abbas of Fatah and Khaled Meshaal of Hamas as the gambits of factional fighting between two political identities in occupied Palestine has personal nature than due to some gross ideological differences as always is the case when society is torn on personal whims, tribal allegiances, power wielding, lawlessness and corporal greed, offers a lot of hope as well as tempering of extreme caution so that any disillusionment should not preclude the path of hope and optimism.

We failed twice earlier. Firstly, in Afghanistan when Nawaz Sharief, then Prime Minister of Pakistan brokered a peace deal in Mecca to end internecine tribal and factional fights between varying Afghan groups in Afghanistan.

All factions of Afghan society through their leaders reached an agreement in Mecca on certain terms and conditions not to fight among themselves since Russians had already withdrawn from Afghanistan.

They decided to sort out their differences peacefully and help promote peace and stability in their country through dialogue and political means. They vowed in the name of God lifting the Quran to respect each others’ blood and respect the agreement in letter and spirit. However, before the ink on the paper they signed had dried they were at each other’s throats and consequently the Phantom of Taliban emerged that engulfed the whole lot of surrounding countries unbalancing all their age long regional, strategic as well as political adjustments.  

Secondly, in Iraq when its political and religious leadership met in Mecca in October last year for the first time in Iraqi History for the safety, unity and stability of the country to stem violence challenging its very existence, it terribly failed to reign in diabolical anger and petty differences and stave off murder and mayhem stalking the streets of Baghdad. Where leaders of a society fail it, the rough elements take hostage the society and consequently humanity fails itself: it is obligatory on us to flourish human institutions. On both occasions the leaders failed to recognise the magnitude of responsibility laid on their shoulders, hence botched.  

The third Meccan accord, however, has different challenges to face.  A lot depends upon the collective reaction from the West as well as Israel and the consequent lifting of debilitating political and economic boycott of Palestine that have already played havoc with the lives of Palestinians living in Gaza and the Wet Bank bringing them down to the level of the most impoverished and debilitated nation in this part of the globe within an year. Before the accord was signed more than 100 people had already died in an internecine fight between the warring factions and since then a very delicate peace is holding that is already under acute pressure because of revengeful tribal hostilities.

The accord is significant in the sense that it has thrown the ball in the court of Israel and the Quartet (EU, Russian, UN and US) instituting and monitoring the peace process called ‘Roadmap’ culminating into a two-state solution with Israeli and Palestinians living side by side respecting each others’ boundaries and recognising each others’ right of existence.

Although, Hamas has not formally recognised Israel, yet it has over the last 10 months hinted at the possibility of two-state solution that is tantamount to recognising Israel albeit not unconditionally.

For the first time in April 2006 Mahmud al-Zaha, foreign Minister of new Hamas-led Palestinian government, made an unprecedented Middle East peace overture in a letter to then UN chief Kofi Annan. Zahar said the new Islamist government was “looking for freedom and independence side-by-side with our neighbours”. He emphasised, “We look forward to living in peace and security, as all countries in the world, and that our people enjoy freedom and independence side-by-side with all our neighbours in this holy place.’’

The language was similar to an internationally-backed roadmap peace plan which called for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. The letter had clearly referred to a “two-state solution”, and was expected to attract greater attention from international community which it did not.

The Quartet failed to notice that the peace move was made at a time when even the new ministers in Gaza as a result of an Israeli-imposed travel ban were not able to travel to the West Bank and were obliged to participate in parliamentary meetings in West Bank via videolink. Rather it went for economic blockade of Palestine to cause degeneration of Palestinian society.

The fate of Meccan accord still hangs in balance although Israel no longer has any pretext to boycott Hamas as the deal have fulfilled Western conditions to ending the boycott and resuming the peace efforts after a six-year impasse. It was expected that the US, which had pledged to a two-state solution, would be able to pressure Israel into resuming peace talks with the Hamas-led government, therefore, Israel had to conceive a plan quick to aggravate the situation in occupied territories to deflect attention away from the significance of the accord so that any progress towards peace talks is stalled. There came the excavation of Al-Aqsa mosque, quite at heal of the accord, that set occupied territories in flame and sent a dangerous wave of anger and revile in Muslim communities all across the globe. The devil has many faces. Never will some peaceful conditions be found in occupied territories so that all parties concerned can sit together to plan out a peaceful and secure future for their generations to come.

The accord can turn out to be seminal if all parties to the dispute adhere to it. It is certain that in the wake of the accord Israel and the US will face resistance if they continued demanding the international economic boycott of the Palestinian government. The boycott must end and it will end very soon as the accord provides an underpinning towards meeting the essential conditions. So far the reaction of the US to the accord has not been very encouraging as the US has been demanding that any Palestinian government must recognise Israel, renounce violence and comply with past Israeli-Palestinian peace accords which can happen only after the formation of the government of national unity.

The Council of European Union in Brussels as well as the UK have extended ‘cautious welcome’ to the Mecca agreement. A trilateral meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmart, President Mahmood Abbas and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to take place on Monday this week in Jerusalem and it is hoped that the meeting will deal with all the practical issues involved such as the release of prisoners, the access and movement problems being faced by Palestinians within the territory and between territories and getting the money being held by Israel released.

Stakes are high for all parties in the occupied lands. A continuation of such deadly civil war that we witnessed in a couple of months preceding the Mecca accord will only help Israel tighten the noose and further diminish any chances of an early establishment of a Palestinian state. The Mecca accord may help launch a process with the goal of ending the occupation that began in 1967.

Information

We failed twice earlier. Firstly, in Afghanistan when Nawaz Sharief, then Prime Minister of Pakistan brokered a peace deal in Mecca to end internecine tribal and factional fights between varying Afghan groups in Afghanistan.

First appeared in Pakistan Observer on 23rd Feb., 2007