While all indications, actions on the ground and public statements appear to show movement in the Palestinian national-reconciliation process, the reality is that it is still facing stumbling blocks.

Palestinian leaders from Hamas and Fatah are meeting regularly. Also meeting with them are other factions (the Palestinian Liberation Organization [PLO] and Islamic Jihad) as well as independent personalities. Election registration in Gaza has restarted and, due to a strong turnout, the registration process was extended for two additional days. Hanna Nasser, the head of the Central Election Commission, made public statements in Gaza that the powers in the Gaza Strip are cooperating with the commission and that people are coming out to register.

The Public Freedoms Committee — a rights committee established as part of the reconciliation process and made up of Islamists, nationalists and independents — has been meeting in the West Bank and Gaza, and their efforts seem to have resulted in the release of some journalists and political prisoners. But there is no clear indication if all prisoners held on account of their political position have been released.

The discussions on the next Palestinian government, which is supposed to be a unity government headed by Mahmoud Abbas, continue, but there are no announced dates as to when it will see the light of day, what mechanisms will be involved and how long it may work. All these issues are sources of contention among the different groups, mainly Fatah and Hamas.