the Oslo Accords and any solution that recognized Israel’s right to exist. After the 2004 death of Arafat, Hamas was able to defeat Fatah in the 2006 election and gain control of the PA. Fatah and Hamas fought for the next year but most of Fatah was kicked out of Gaza while remaining in control of The West Bank. Most recently violence against Israel has come primarily from Hamas, but there is some still from Fatah, as not all agreed with Arafat were working for peace.While this article focuses mainly on Suni Palestinian groups, I should note that the other organization you may hear about is Hezbollah, which came into being in 1982 after the Iranian Revolution and is made up of Shia Lebanese. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are supported by Iran, but the two groups do not really get along except for their animosity toward Israel. Lebanon and its role in this fight is too long and complicated but needs to be addressed at another time.Since 2006 Hamas and Fatah have tried working together and even discussed uniting the West Bank and Gaza under one national leadership, but each attempt has failed. The leadership of the two groups simply cannot get along. I do not know how this recent war will affect the two, but I can’t imagine it will help. Israel wants Hamas removed once and for all.James Finck, Ph.D. is a professor of history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He may be reached at HistoricallySpeaking1776@gmail.com.
