All sides hope apparent rapprochement brokered by Egypt might be for real
The long-awaited reconciliation between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah has apparently taken a new turn with the announcement by Hamas on Sunday that it would dissolve its administrative committee – the body that effectively serves as the governors of the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control from Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in 2007. The Islamist group has apparently agreed to the demand to do so and to the other conditions set forth by Fatah for implementing a reconciliation agreement with Hamas – several of which have been signed in recent years but none of which has been implemented. The new initiative, brokered by Egypt, includes an invitation for PA Prime Minister Dr. Rami Hamdallah to oversee a unity government for the Gaza Strip immediately.
The Hamas declaration was released one day after the Palestinian Authority’s delegation reached Egypt following meetings last week between a visiting Hamas delegation and the head of Egyptian Intelligence Agency, Khaled Fawzi. Now, in what is seen as a sign of progress, exclusive sources have told The Media Line that the Fatah/PA delegation led by Azam Al-Ahmad, a member of the Palestinian Central Committee, may extend their stay for another day.
Hamas’s promising press release, the product of Egyptian efforts, is something Palestinians have been waiting for since the signing of the first reconciliation agreement in Egypt in 2011. The statement also mentioned that new elections will soon be taking place in Gaza, and that Hamas is willing to accept Egypt’s invitation to meet with the Palestinian Authority under Cairo’s aegis. Hamas said that all of these decisions are made with the desire to establish unified Palestinian government that includes all political parties that were signatories to the 2011 agreement.
Wassel Abu Yousef, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, cautioned that while the Hamas press release is important, it must be followed by action: specifically, practical steps to implementation, unlike after previous attempts at reconciliation. “The Palestinian Authority needs to go to Gaza to assess the current governmental infrastructure and prepare for the elections to come,” he told The Media Line. Abu Yousef also admonished that follow-up was critical to end the division, and expressed appreciation for Egypt’s role as the initiator and venue for the political reconciliation.
In recent months, Hamas has sought to improve its relationship with Egypt in several ways, including issuing a new charter that removed its association with the Muslim Brotherhood – President Al-Sisi’s nemesis – the relationship with Hamas having been the catalyst for the Sisi government to eschew Hamas and refuse its pleas for assistance. In particular, Hamas needs Egypt to allow passage of goods and people through the Rafah crossing, the only crossing point not controlled by Israel. It also needs Sisi’s help in obtaining good will gestures from Israel, such as medical treatment for Gazans.
Having been teased several times since 2011, Palestinians-at-large were not optimistic about that the latest developments spell unity.
Speaking to The Media Line, Abdelrahman Haj, the head of the political science department at the West Bank’s Birzeit University, pointed out that the Palestinian government has not made an official statement despite the PA sending a delegation to Egypt. “Nothing is solid or official; Hamas and Fatah have two different political agendas, they have no mutual points, and there will be no reconciliation without the two parties finding mutual grounds.” He cautioned that “No one knows what is going to happen. Remember, more than once has there been talk of reconciliations but there were no results on the ground.”
A former member of the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), a rival group to both Fatah and Hamas, explained to The Media Line under the condition of anonymity that the Palestinian people have no faith in either of the two factions involved in the talks.
“For the last 15 years, we have needed a unified government to fight settlements and the occupation, to support prisoners during the strike… We needed one unified official political Palestinian entity, but they failed to put aside their differences.” He agreed, though, that the Palestinian reconciliation is a necessary step that needs to be taken in order to reunify the Palestinian people.
“The bad situation in Gaza is a result of Fatah and Hamas and their respective governments, which resulted in corruption and disingenuousness.” He continued, “They need to work on regaining the trust of their people.”