Strategic Assessment

During the years of the intifada, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict was split into three groupings: Fatah–Hamas; Israel–PA led by Fatah; and Israel–Hamas. This article examines the military and diplomatic moves that accelerated the development of the rift in the Palestinian arena. It reviews the lessons of the dialogue launched at Annapolis, which proved a failed attempt to exploit the rift in the Palestinian arena to bring about a diplomatic breakthrough, and analyzes the nature of the circular connection between the diplomatic deadlock and the split in the Palestinian arena.