Yesterday, January 15 was another black day in the history of the Palestinian struggle. Twenty Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, including the son of one of Hamas’ most controversial leaders, Mahmoud Zahhar. Israeli forces entered the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City early Tuesday morning and were almost immediately met with resistance from armed Palestinian groups. For four hours, the fighting ensued, with Israeli air and ground reinforcements launching additional raids.

By the end of the military incursion, 20 Palestinians had been killed and 50 wounded, 21 of them critically, Israel haughtily pronouncing that it would do whatever it deemed necessary to stop the rockets launched from the Strip and safeguard Israel’s “security.”

In the midst of this tragedy, however, there is at least one thin silver lining. Palestinians everywhere, regardless of their political affiliations, are condemning the killings and calling for a halt to the bloodshed. The West Bank-based government under President Mahmoud Abbas described yesterday’s events as a massacre, calling for a day of mourning in honor of those killed in Gaza.

It has been a long time since the respective leaderships of Hamas and Fateh agreed on anything. Ever since last year’s elections when Hamas won the majority vote in the Palestinian Legislative Council, it has been a downward spiral in their bilateral relations. Constantly bickering over politics and seats of power not to mention the back and forth accusations bordering on charges of treason, this latest show of solidarity has given the masses a much needed pause from the head-butting.

Unfortunately, it is under extremely dire circumstances. The Gaza Strip has been plunged into a state of misery and mourning yet again and the streets are plentiful with explanations, accusations and analyses. Some tie this latest incursion into the recent visit by US President George W. Bush, who is coincidentally wrapping up is Middle East visit today. Is Israel trying to send a message to the US that no matter what efforts are exerted or promises made, Israel will unremorsefully do what it wants?

This seems like a reasonable possibility, especially since we all understand Israel’s self-entitled right to operate above the law. We also know that not all Israelis were happy with Bush’s latest visit. Right wingers, including Jewish settlers demonstrated against the US President, somehow under the bizarre impression that Bush had come to relinquish the “land of Israel” to the Palestinians.

Others believe the United States is directly to blame for Israel’s unhindered brutality. If it were not for the US’s unabashed bias towards its staunchest ally, the killings of yesterday would never happen. Or, if they did, Israel would certainly be slapped with sanctions before it had time to concoct a new excuse.

Still, as Palestinians know all too well, in times like these, banding together is a crucial tactic for survival. Shops have closed their doors in the West Bank and Gaza as a sign of mourning and if nothing else, Palestinians everywhere feel unified in their grief.

And perhaps, in the midst of these hard times, our leaders, both in the West Bank and Gaza will finally learn a crucial lesson. Pointing fingers at each other is pointless and pointing guns at each other is catastrophic. Television footage last night of the carnage in Gaza proves one thing. Whether Fateh reviles Hamas or not and whether we back the fiery statements of Mahmoud Zahhar or reject them, in the end this Hamas zealot is a Palestinian father grieving for his dead son. The fatal bullet that took this man’s life made no distinction whether its owner pledged allegiance to the deposed government in Gaza or to the up and coming one in Ramallah. The point is that ironically, Israel may have brought us together by knocking us down.

True, our unity does not possess any magical powers to stop Israel in its tracks. Neither will it automatically restore our land. However, an immediate result would be a halt to the extremely destructive infighting that has claimed hundreds of lives. Furthermore, like the old saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” If the energies of our leaders flow in the same direction, perhaps our performance – both on the street and in the international community – may improve considerably.

Enough has been said about our past mistakes; now it is time to learn from them. It is obvious that Israel is unrelenting, both on the ground and in the diplomatic arena. While its military shoots to kill, its bulldozers continue clearing Palestinian land in east Jerusalem to construct even more illegal settlements right under the US’s nose. Our cardinal mistake has been to lose our focus. Israel doesn’t care if the land it expropriates belongs to a Hamas loyalist or a Fateh diehard. It cares that it is Palestinian land on which Israeli squatters will ultimately inhabit and claim as their own.

In the next few days of mourning – as Israel cockily continues to pin all its abhorrent behavior on its eternal quest for “security” – perhaps the Palestinians will regroup. The target and goal of any rage, peace efforts or negotiations should be the end to the illegal Israeli occupation over Palestinian land. Never should that arrow be pointed inward.

Joharah Baker is a Writer for the Media and Information Programme at the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). She can be contacted at mip@miftah.org.