Media Talk: Palestine’s internal battle

The rival Palestinian parties Hamas and Fatah have been engaged in a bitter power struggle ever since Hamas’ victory in last January’s elections. All attempts to forge a path out of the deadlock and form a unity government have failed.

In December the struggle turned violent when three sons of a Fatah security chief were killed and an attempt made on the life of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas. Violence spread to the West Bank and now threatens to spiral out of control.

Our panel discusses how this power struggle will affect stability in the region.

David Pratt – Foreign editor of the Sunday Herald and author of Intifada: The Long Day of Rage.

Ghada Karmi – Palestinian academic and author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine (forthcoming).

Azzam Tamimi – Founder of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought and author of Hamas: Unwritten Chapters.

Husam Zomlot – Deputy Ambassador, Palestinian General Delegation to the UK.