Months of mounting pressure on both the Palestinian government and its employees has apparently reached its peak. The international community’s diplomatic and economic isolation of the Hamas-led Palestinian government since February 2006, hence the executive authority’s inability to pay long overdue wages, is bound to take a severe turn in the coming days and weeks.

Palestinian civil servants have launched a series of strikes, starting today, during which they hope to exert enough pressure on the government to take concrete steps in fulfilling its financial responsibilities and obligations, or simply to relinquish its powers.

We have yet to see the impact of the strikes on the ground; most notably, the opposition’s reaction, and whether or not the issue will be manipulated in order to score (political) points. Meanwhile, one outcome is almost guaranteed; Hamas’ credibility and popularity among the Palestinian people will be scrutinised. Both as a government and as a political force, Hamas will be pressured into providing alternatives, solutions, and practical approaches to real challenges, as opposed to merely providing a rhetorical discourse. It will be pressured into taking and implementing decisions that reach far beyond political ideology and nationalistic sentiment.

As the “war of the employees” is launched, Hamas, the opposition, and Palestinian political forces at large must be cautioned against any attempt to escalate the current crisis into a deeper, perhaps factional, conflict. It must be fully understood that while civil disobedience is a legitimate right, anarchy and lawlessness will be destructive to Palestinian society altogether. It must be understood that the status quo in the Palestinian territories, the socio-economic situation, is ripe for a wider escalation of the internal turmoil, which can be easily exploited.

Simultaneously, the ongoing debate on the formation of a national unity government may eventually develop into a serious “exit strategy” from the current crisis, particularly if the strikes are intensified in the coming weeks. President Mahmoud Abbas’ detached approach and “closed door” policy may be equally challenged; he will have to take more assertive measures, through an inclusive approach towards Hamas and a balanced attitude towards his own FATEH movement. The role of the remaining political forces, such as the leftist parliamentary blocks, the alternative blocks, and the independents, will be vital to inject pragmatism and vision into the equation.

Since the elections of January 2006, the Palestinian people have adopted a “wait and see” policy towards the deteriorating economic situation. However, the time has apparently come for their legitimate call for action. Will Hamas deliver? Will FATEH transcend exaggerated factional loyalty? Will other political forces finally take more assertive stances and provide an alternative vision?

Rami Bathish is director of the Media and Information Programme at the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). He can be contacted at mip@miftah.org