Hamas’s surprising landslide election victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election was met with anger and hostility, especially in Washington. The US reacted with a series of covert operations spearheaded by the US State Department that were initiated to topple the Islamist party which Washington and its allies have labelled a “terrorist group”.

Details of the US initiated coup emerged quickly after. Confidential documents, since corroborated by sources in the US and Palestine, exposed a covert initiative, approved by President George W Bush and implemented by Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National Security Adviser, Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil war.

Immediately after the election results were announced, Abrams met with a group of Palestinian businessmen in Washington and spoke openly of the need for a “hard coup” against Hamas. According to the Palestinians present, Abrams was “unshakable” in his resolve to topple Hamas. When they expressed concerns about the harm this would bring to Palestinian society, Abrams apparently dismissed their concerns, claiming that this would not be the fault of the USA.

Equally surprised by its victory, Hamas made overtures to Fatah to form a government of national unity. The proposals were initially rejected. Hamas’s attempt to gain legitimacy was also blocked by the US. Rice moved to thwart the group’s efforts to engage with friendly governments by writing a letter to US embassies all over the world urging them to insist that their host countries refuse to engage with the newly victorious Palestinian group.

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The US viewed the Makkah Agreement as “a devastating blow.” The Neo-Conservative American government had no interest in de-escalating the tensions and remained determined to deny Hamas any form of legitimacy. As soon as Hamas had formed a government, and had it approved by the Palestinian Parliament, the USA set about trying to isolate and undermine it. Several EU countries followed suit, prohibiting their diplomatic corps from making any contact with the new government. Their justification was identical to that used by the USA – they stated that they would offer no development assistance to the Palestinian Territory while it was administered by a government that did not recognise Israel and was committed to armed resistance.

At this point, the US State Department intensified its efforts to topple the unity government. It even prepared a blueprint for a coup, entitled “An Action Plan for the Palestinian Presidency – 2007”. The plan, dated 2 March 2007, outlined objectives, steps and timelines to enhance the power of the PA and its President. It also includes the transformation of the Palestinian security forces and a budget showing costs amounting to $1.27 billion...

With the US plan to topple Hamas thwarted, Israel moved to impose a full land, air, and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, following the Islamist group’s victory over Fatah.