Palestinians under rule of the gun

By Aleem Maqbool
BBC News, Ramallah, West Bank

Politicians are having no effect on the gunmen on the ground

The two main Palestinian political factions are supposed to be working together in a unity government.

But gunmen loyal to the two factions, Hamas and Fatah, have instead been fighting fierce battles on the streets of Gaza.

The renewed violence has raised fears that this unity government could collapse.

If that happens then the situation could become even more dangerous.

But with such security chaos illustrating that the current administration has little control over the militants on the streets, ordinary Palestinians are questioning whether the government's collapse will necessarily make the situation worse.

After Hamas won an unexpected election victory last year, its administration was subjected to an international boycott for its refusal to recognise Israel.

Israel also refused to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars in tax, which it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

These measures sent the already strained Palestinian economy into a tailspin, and tens of thousands of government workers have not received their full salaries in more than a year.

It was in this atmosphere that tension between Hamas, an Islamic movement, and its political rival, Fatah, regarded as secularists, increased.

'Wait and see'

Since the beginning of last summer there have been serious bouts of inter-factional violence.

But in February the two factions reached an agreement, in Mecca, to form a national unity government, which most Palestinians hoped would lead to the lifting of the international embargo and an end to the fighting. Neither has happened.

Neither faction has come to terms with sharing power

The international community adopted a "wait and see" approach to the new government.

Now the inter-factional violence, which subsided for a couple of months, has reared its head with a vengeance.

The politicians' words are having no effect on the gunmen on the ground, and the bloodier the violence gets, the more strain the government will come under.

But even if the fighting stopped today, current events have shown that tensions will remain and very little will be needed to trigger renewed battles.

As well as the external pressures, the political wings of both factions have barely been able to hide their contempt for the way their rivals run things.

Hamas considers Fatah to be corrupt, Fatah regards Hamas as militants still learning the ropes as politicians.

The armed wings have been bolstering their arsenals, never really believing that the factional fighting was truly over.

Neither faction has come to terms with sharing power.

It is difficult to see any alternative administration bringing stability to Gaza with the current pressures it is under.

For now talk of a unity government and ceasefires seems empty - it is guns and bullets that are doing the talking.