3 Interlocking Peace Negotiations Put Israel, Palestinians at Impasse

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, left, at the opening of an Arab summit in Damascus, Syria. (By Omar Rashidi -- Palestinian Authority Via Associated Press)

One crucial sticking point is whether under any resulting cease-fire Israel would end military operations not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank. Israel's answer has been no. Hamas, which aspires to lead in both territories, has insisted it must be yes.

"We need it to be a real cease-fire," said Hamas foreign affairs adviser Ahmed Yousef. "We can't enjoy calm in Gaza while our people in the West Bank are being attacked."

The political division of Gaza and the West Bank that began last June could change if Hamas and Fatah strike a deal.

Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, has demanded that Hamas give up control of Gaza as a prerequisite for talks. If Hamas complies and there is then an agreement, fresh elections would probably follow.

The deal would be risky for the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials have said any reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas would torpedo hopes of an agreement this year to create a Palestinian state. With Hamas's popularity surging and Fatah's plummeting, Abbas and his allies also face the prospect of being voted out of office.

But without such a deal, Palestinian Authority leaders have little hope of creating a state that includes both territories.

Hamas leaders, meanwhile, believe they could benefit no matter how the negotiations end. If there is a deal with either Israel or the Palestinian Authority, the movement's leaders indicate, they will get credit for having forced the other side to accept their terms. And if not, Hamas can simply continue a campaign of violence that is proving attractive to Palestinians who are fed up with the ineffectiveness of negotiations.

"Hamas," Yousef said, "is getting stronger every day."

Correspondent Cameron W. Barr and special correspondent Samuel Sockol contributed to this report.