It has become clear that the worsening situation in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war this summer has largely resulted from the failure of the reconstruction process, the ongoing closure of the crossings and the failure to settle the issue of the payment of employee salaries. This prompted Hamas’ parliamentary bloc to announce on Nov. 16 the holding of a Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) session Nov. 19-20 to discuss the future of the consensus government. However, on Nov. 18, the deputy head of the PLC, Ahmed Bahar, announced in a news release that the session would be postponed to an unknown date, in response to good offices and to the Jerusalem events.
A senior Hamas leader told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The parliamentary Hamas bloc was serious about holding the session and potentially declaring the illegitimacy of the government, and thus take us into another predicament. This led Palestinian and Arab parties to contact us in a bid to heal the rift.”
