Abbas goes big with Hamas deal; the Temple Mount fault line
PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas plays the Hamas card; watch out for the "Hebronization" of the Temple Mount; Al-Monitor launches Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish newsletters.
On April 23, Fatah and Hamas signed the Palestinian National Reconciliation Agreement, which implements two previous agreements signed in Doha (February 2012) and Cairo (May 2011).
The agreement calls for an interim government to be formed in five weeks consisting of political independents (aligned with neither Hamas not Fatah), followed by executive and legislative elections in six months.
PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas considers the unification of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as one of his legacy issues. Although Asmaa al-Ghoul reported that Gaza’s streets were mostly quiet after the announcement of the agreement, Abbas’ move is a boost to his sagging popularity and a likely mortal blow to any challenge from Mohammed Dahlan and other potential rivals if elections go ahead.
Abbas is playing the stronger hand relative to Hamas, whose domestic and foreign policies were in crisis, especially after Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was deposed.
