Following the declaration by Fatah and Hamas, in which the rival Palestinian factions announced they have reached an agreement on reconciliation, the heads of the delegations announced in a press conference in Cairo that the deal would see the Palestinian Authority’s unity government takeover administrative control of the Gaza Strip by the first of December. The Head of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah delegation said that the unity deal would grant the popular Palestinian factions the opportunity to unite in their common efforts to confront Israel and materialize their joint aspiration of establishing a Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital.
While Palestinian officials told TV7 that the declaration of reconciliation has more weight than previous Palestinian attempts to initiative a unity deal between Fatah and Hamas, some of the officials we spoke to asserted that it was too early to determine whether this time around the agreed-upon-terms would be realized on the ground. Nevertheless, in a sign of a joint urgency to bring-about the long-sought-after-unity, Fatah’s delegation head announced that the first stages of the deal would be already implemented by the first of November, including the deployment of Palestinian Authority security forces on the bode crossing with Egypt.
The head of Hamas’ delegation declared, that the Islamist organization was honest with its intentions to materialize the reconciliation agreement. He said that Egypt’s role in directing the talks was vital for the successful outcome, and that President Abbas’ unyielding position on transferring Hamas’ powers to the Palestinian Authority has brought about the desired decision.
It is important to note that according to confirmed reports, Egypt’s Intelligence Chief Khaled Fawzy denied Fatah’s request to include in the reconciliation talks the issue of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The reports noted that Hamas’ weapons issue was not discussed in the talks. A Hamas official emphasized that the weapons would not be up for discussion as long as the Israeli occupation continues.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, Israeli officials reiterated that any reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah must be based on the conditions of the international Quartet, first and foremost “the recognition of Israel and Hamas’s disarmament.” The officials emphasized that “should the Palestinian Authority indeed receive control over the Gaza Strip, Israel would demand that it would not allow Hamas terrorist elements to have any control on the ground.” Former Israeli Foreign Minister, Knesset Member Tzipi Livni said, “Egypt’s intervention and the Palestinian Authority’s entry into Gaza are an opportunity for change, but as long as Hamas remains an armed terror organization, Palestinian reconciliation gives legitimacy to Hamas and to terrorism, instead of taking control of it.” Livni added that “The new Palestinian unity government must meet international demands, such as recognizing Israel, disavowing terrorism, and honoring all previous agreements, which is their real test.”