The split between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, an issue that has haunted Palestine for a long time, is about to end, following an April 23 announcement by Ismail Haniyah, leader of Hamas, that the group has reached a reconciliation deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Head of the Hamas government Ismail Haniyeh (second right) attends a meting in Gaza City on April 22, 2014. [File photo]

Under the joint plan, the two sides are set to form a national government within five weeks, before scheduling a general election within the next half a year.

The reconciliation seems sudden, firstly because there were practically no signs that the talks were going to take place. Several days ago, Hamas' hardline foreign minister Mahmoud al-Zahar criticized Fatah through the press. But the two sides were reconciled just days later.

Also, the talks were amazingly efficient. The Fatah delegation arrived in Gaza on April 22, and a draft deal was reached within 24 hours.

The two Palestinian political groups split in 2007, since which Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) has been occupying the Gaza Strip, rivaling the West Bank-based Fatah.

Besides their internal contentions within Palestine, Hamas and Fatah kept slating each other across the Arab world, claiming to be the legitimate group representing Palestine. Their struggles have prompted countries such as Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to intervene.

In the struggle, Fatah has taken the upper hand in terms of resources. The Fatah West Bank accommodates around 2 million people, the same population as Hamas-controlled Gaza, but the territory is far larger than the Gaza Strip, and has a better political and economic environment.

The West Bank neighbors Jordan, through which Palestinians are connected with the rest of the Arab world. Israel even gives Fatah covert support. The benign environment has facilitated the development of Fatah's politics and economy.

By contrast, Hamas has had to face all sorts of difficulties since the day they took control of the area. Israel has kept blockading the area in a bid to drive Hamas out of office. The former Hosni Mubarak administration in Egypt shut down the Rafah Crossing that connects Gaza and Sinai, fearing Hamas' extremist ideology might spread in Egypt.

Mubarak's successor Mohamed Morsi temporarily opened the barrier for the entire Arab League's support for Hamas, once leaving Fatah seemingly isolated, but Morsi's drastic downfall quickly reverted the situation, once again making Hamas like an abandoned child, helpless in the blockade from both Israel and Egypt.