Hamas’ weapons risk could kill Palestinian reconciliation
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has set new conditions for reconciling with Hamas that some say could hinder the process, though others are more optimistic.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah took the first step toward assuming control of Gaza's administration when he and all the ministers of the national consensus government arrived there from Ramallah on Oct. 2.
The success of the government's visit to the Gaza Strip “will pave the way for other steps toward reconciliation," Azzam al-Ahmad, a Fatah official and member of Fatah's Central Committee, said that day during a press conference that Al-Monitor attended.
"Next week will be crucial for the effective empowerment of the government in Gaza,” Ahmad said, referring to a meeting in Cairo set for Oct. 9 between Fatah and Hamas, under the auspices of Egyptian intelligence. During the meeting, both sides are expected to place control of all ministries and crossings with the national consensus government. The remaining contentious issues will be discussed during a subsequent round of talks.
Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian political parties, split violently in 2007. The Fatah-ruled Palestinian Authority (PA) administers the West Bank, while Hamas — which the United States and Israel consider a terrorist group — controlled the Gaza Strip. After suffering under ever-more-severe sanctions imposed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas announced last month it was dissolving its administration and would be open to reuniting the parties under the PA.
