Fragmenting the National Struggle
In spring of 2006, Palestinians democratically elected a Hamas government to power with a clear majority. In response, the international community imposed a boycott on the Palestinians for exercising their democratic rights. Instead of sanctioning the occupier, for the first time in history, European and North American governments imposed a boycott on a population under occupation. Fateh and Hamas eventually formed a National Unity government which committed all of the Palestinian leadership to democratic ideals and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. In response, the American administration attempted to incite a coup against Hamas and propel the factions towards civil war. Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the American and European governments have been supporting the Abbas’ regime, as part of their search for a Palestinian “partner” in the “peace process” – that is a leader that will stop the Palestinian struggle and accept Israeli apartheid.