Fatah and Hamas: Get your civil war on

First, we have this report that Israel foiled an assassination attempt by Hamas on Mahmoud Abbas:

A HAMAS plot to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been thwarted after he was tipped off by Israeli intelligence.

Hamas’s military wing, the Izza Din Al-Qassem, had planned to kill Abbas at his office in Gaza, intelligence sources said.

Abbas, who became president of the Palestinian Authority last year after the death of Yasser Arafat, was formally warned of the danger by the Israelis and cancelled a planned visit to the territory.

Then, of course, the requisite denials:

Then the negotiation process breaks down,

Gaza, May 7 (Xinhua) — Spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized on Sunday the Hamas-led government, saying the Palestinians “were paying the price for the government’s positions.”

“Unfortunately, every one refuses to deal with us unless the government change its policy,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh told reporters in Gaza following a meeting between Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya on Saturday night.

and accusations fly:

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar on Sunday accused PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas of disrupting the work of the Hamas cabinet, saying some ministries had been “paralyzed” as a result.

[…] Zahar claimed that nearly 250,000 kilograms of gold were smuggled out of the Gaza Strip to the Gulf following Israel’s pullout from the area last summer. “This is an issue that we must look into,” he said. “We discussed the issue at length with President Abbas on Saturday.”

Zahar lashed out at Abbas for issuing a series of “presidential decrees” that undermined the powers of the Hamas cabinet. “Some of the ministries are either paralyzed or have stopped functioning because of these decrees,” he said. “The Interior Ministry is totally paralyzed and is unable to provide services to the public because of these decrees and other appointments [made by Abbas].”

More negotiations occur. They, too, break down.

Ministers from the Hamas government and aides to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas ended their meeting with no results in hand on Sunday night.

They were unable to reach an agreement regarding separation and delegation of powers between Abbas and the Hamas-led government, nor did they figure out a way to alleviate the PA’s growing financial crisis, Israel Radio reported.

And finally, bullets fly — only this time, with deadly results.

Hamas and Fatah gunmen clashed early Monday, leaving three Palestinians dead, security officials said, the most serious fighting between the two powerful factions since Hamas swept elections in January.

A Hamas fighter was killed first in Bani Suheila, near the city of Khan Younis, the officials said. Hamas fighters then fired an anti-tank rocket at Fatah gunmen, killing two. Fatah officials said five of their men were captured.

And finally, will this lead to the civil war that has been brewing for years?

One can only hope. But pass the popcorn. I’ll be watching and waiting.