Chaos dims Palestinian independence hopes

When Israel withdrew from Gaza last September, the seaside strip with its 1.3 million residents became a 27-mile-long (16-mile) test tube for Palestinian self-rule.

Gaza, observers said at the time, would be a portent of what a future Palestinian state might look like.

But in the intervening eight months, an already fragile security situation has degenerated into a deadly power struggle between the newly-elected Hamas government and the vanquished Fatah factions that many feel could end up in civil war.

Foreigners have been kidnapped and unsubstantiated rumours abound of an al-Qaeda-inspired presence lurking in Gaza. The European Union and United Nations have had to withdraw their foreign staff on multiple occasions in recent months.

Even before a dramatic firefight by the parliament building in Gaza City on Monday, which left one dead and nine wounded, the Hamas government's refusal to renounce violence or recognise Israel's right to exist had alienated many in the international community and triggered economic sanctions.