ANALYSIS-Forging Palestinian unity tough task, even for Turkey

Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:40am GMT

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* Turkey calls for Palestinian unity, but hard to achieve

* Fatah-Hamas trade accusations of oppression

* Emboldened Hamas set to drive even harder bargain

By Tom Perry

RAMLALLAH, West Bank, June 10 (Reuters) - The prospect of Israel easing its blockade of Gaza has generated new pressure on Fatah and Hamas to end their feud, but the chances of the rival factions restoring Palestinian unity soon appear faint.

Turkey, seeking to build on the kudos it has won among Arabs for challenging the blockade, has offered to mediate between the rivals and its prime minister has said the division must end.

"For the peace in Palestine, it is necessary to overcome the problems between Fatah and Hamas," Tayyip Erdogan said this week. "There shouldn't be divisions anymore, there can't be."

Those words resonate with Palestinians who are sick of the infighting. But turning them into reality will not be easy. Continued...

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