SOAS Research Online

Abstract

As the Arab Spring mutated into a variety of patterns with each country charting and grappling with its political course according to its conditions, the Palestinians who watched from the sideline found their politics entangled with each of the Arab Spring countries. The actual political split between Hamas and Fatah and their continuous attempt to reconcile within this context gave way to issues which are too interrelated to be dealt with separately. Therefore, this paper will engage in a diverse reading of Palestinian politics as engineered by Hamas and Fatah within the constraining context of the Israeli occupation as well as the unfolding power and revolutionary dynamics in the region and their influence, particularly on Hamas. It proposes that unless Palestinian politics is boldly restored to its aspiration of liberation from the Israeli occupation through new popular activities and groups which overcome the narrow political maneuvers of Hamas and Fatah that aim to maintain their prestige and authority, the Palestinian people will remain outside the Arab Spring and its revolutionary promise of serious change.