Strategic Assessment

The Palestinian political arena has recently experienced substantive shockwaves. The joint announcement on the meeting of the Palestinian factions in Cairo in March was the first of its kind, indicating a new balance of forces in Palestinian politics. The results of these shockwaves are expected to be reflected in the July elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Will Fatah continue to control the PLO and the Palestinian territories, or will it lose a significant part of its power to Hamas?