Fatah and Hamas

Fatah

Fatah, the reverse acronym of Harakat al-Tahrir al-Filistiniya (Palestinian liberation movement) meaning "conquest" in Arabic, is the most powerful faction among the Palestinian groups.

Founded in the in the early 1960s by Yasser Arafat, Fatah carried out raids against civilian targets in Israel in the 1960s. After renouncing terrorism and recognizing Israel's right to exist, Arafat embarked on efforts towards a two-state solution with Israel under the 1990s Oslo peace accords.

Fatah members account for most of the jobs in the Palestinian Authority (PA), especially its bureaucrats and security forces, that grew out of the Oslo agreement.

The PA president Mahmoud Abbas, backed by the US and the west, has strongly criticised attacks on Israeli civilians. He seeks a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital. Fatah lost power in the 2006 parliamentary elections to Hamas amid accusations that the group was rife with corruption.

Hamas

Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), means "zeal" in Arabic. It is the senior partner in a national unity government formed in March in a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia.

Originally the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas is committed to establishing an Islamic state. Hamas has won increasing support among Palestinians since its establishment in 1987 as Fatah failed to deliver on the promise of the Oslo peace accords.

The west has boycotted Hamas since it came to power because it is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU because of suicide bombings against Israel. The party's charter calls for Israel's destruction, but Hamas has spoken of a long-term truce with Israel if Israel withdraws from territory occupied in 1967.

Despite the formation of a unity government, there has been constant tension over who should control the security forces in Gaza and the West Bank.