Palestinians celebrate after Palestinian rival movements Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement following talks mediated by Egypt, in Gaza City, on Oct. 12, 2017. Palestinian rival movements Fatah and Hamas on Thursday signed a reconciliation agreement in a meeting in Cairo to end their long-time rift. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)
By Osama Radi, Emad Drimly
GAZA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Despite all the obstacles, the reconciliation agreement reached in Cairo on Thursday between rival factions Fatah and Hamas was a serious step towards the end of a decade-long internal split of the Palestinians, according to analysts.
According to the Egyptian-brokered agreement, the two parties agreed on the full functioning of the consensus government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and on resolving all the problems caused by the internal division.
Palestinian President and Head of Fatah Party Mahmoud Abbas considered the deal as "one step forward that would boost and speed up the ending of the internal split which has been going on for ten years."
Rajab Abu Sariya, a Ramallah-based writer and a political analyst, told Xinhua that the Cairo agreement was halfway towards a full reconciliation, adding that the deal promotes "a political partnership" between Fatah and Hamas.
Describing the talks in Cairo as "serious" and "fruitful," Sariya said the results reflected Hamas' "unprecedented seriousness in pursuing reconciliation," and Fatah's "keenness to empower the consensus government to administrate the Gaza Strip."
After signing the agreement, Egypt intends to continue to call for a wider dialogue among all Palestinian powers and factions in Cairo to discuss the formation of a unity government and to prepare for the Palestinian general elections.
Analysts were optimistic on the ability of the two rivals to reconcile after the Cairo agreement, which includes a road map with specific timetables to resolve outstanding issues.
"It is likely that a timetable for the presidential and legislative elections will be agreed upon during the next round of talks sponsored by Egypt and that a unity government will be formed, which represents a crucial stage for achieving serious reconciliation," he said.
"The agreement is an interim declaration of principles that addresses the issues of government empowerment including personnel, crossings and security services and leaves final status issues to the final agreement," said Mohammed Daraghmeh, a Ramallah-based analyst.
The signing of the deal came after Hamas announced on Sept. 17 to dissolve its administrative committee in Gaza to allow the consensus government to take over its functions in the enclave.
Daraghmeh said that the success of the agreement depends on the willingness of Hamas to respond to Fatah's demand for Hamas to abandon the administration of Gaza.
He stressed that the success of the Cairo agreement requires a gradual process, serious work and a full desire by Fatah and Hamas, continuous supervision by Egypt, and most importantly, European funding and the acceptance from the United States.
Over the past ten years, the two rivals had reached a series of understandings and agreements, however, they failed to reach a comprehensive reconciliation due to disagreement on political strategies and security issues.
To avoid another disappointment, Hani al-Masri, head of the Ramallah-based Center for Research and Studies, stressed that the most important are implementation and forming a true unity based on a national program and full partnership.
He emphasized on the need to rebuild the institutions of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on a patriotic and democratic basis, to respect human rights and freedom, guarantee freedom of information, independence of judiciary and equality among Palestinians.
He stressed that the essence of the agreement is to restore the power of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Gaza, but it is dangerous to postpone the main reconciliation files such as the unity government, the political program, the Legislative Council, the PLO, the elections and community reconciliation.
Related:
Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas sign reconciliation deal in Cairo
CAIRO, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian rival movements Fatah and Hamas on Thursday signed a reconciliation agreement in a meeting in Cairo to end their long-time rift.
The two movements agreed on a complete handover of Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to Fatah by December 1 and to enable the consensus government under Fatah to have full control of the enclave. Full story
