"In this book, Jonathan Schanzer reveals how internal rivalries and violence have ultimately stymied American efforts to promote Middle East peace, and even the Palestinian quest for a homeland. Hamas N. Fatah provides a road map for a potential way forward, and offers hope that the elusive quest for peace in this troubled region may yet succeed."--Jacket. "Western peace efforts in the Middle East have always focused on reconciling two opposing peoples: Israelis and Palestinians. However, Jonathan Schanzer's careful exploration of Middle East history over the last two decades reveals that the Palestinian people have long been suffering from a divisive internal conflict. What began as a political rivalry between Fatah's Yasir Arafat and Hamas's Sheikh Ahmed Yassin during the first intifada of 1987 evolved into a full-blown battle on the streets of Gaza between the forces of Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's successor, and Ismael Haniyeh, one of Yassin's early proteges. Today, the battle continues between these two opposing forces over the role of Palestinian nationalism and Islamism in the West Bank and Gaza."