February 16, 2021 at 2:30 pm Fatah's internal divisions are overshadowing and diverting attention away from the rift with Hamas. News, leaks and analyses address the Fatah divisions, while the Fatah-Hamas split receives less attention. The latter seems to have been put on hold under the guise of a "truce", "management" and "containment", but not reconciliation or unity. In its official statements, Fatah is united and will participate in the elections under a unified list, and Marwan Barghouti, the movement's righteous son, will not sing from a different song sheet. Other news sources mention a disagreement within Fatah that has become a squabble to contain the most prominent official within the movement. There are several scenarios being put forward: the "Mandela scenario" is a reference to Barghouti campaigning in the run up to the presidential election from his cell, as Nelson Mandela negotiated with the Apartheid South African regime before his release. There is also the "Abdel Rahman Swar Al-Dahab scenario" in reference to the Sudanese general who oversaw the transfer of power from Nimeiri to an elected civilian government. If Barghouti fits the Mandela scenario, then President Mahmoud Abbas fits the other.