Palestinian Negotiations

From today's Ha'aretz:

"Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshal, the head of Hamas' political bureau in Damascus, agreed Friday on an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but it was not immediately implemented and the fighting continued over the weekend.

"Abbas and Meshal are slated to meet in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss the establishment of a national unity government. Senior officials in Hamas and Fatah said that despite the recent violence between the two groups, an agreement might be reached Tuesday that would leave Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in his post and would give three portfolios to members of neither organization. Fatah officials said they were worried that the violence would escalate if no agreement is reached Tuesday."

Can I just say it's a pathetic statement on the Palestinian condition that an unelected hard-liner who lives in Damascus and hasn't entered the Palestinian territories in decades has such a huge say in developing what political voice they have?