Palestinians gauge economic impact of reconciliation
Now that Hamas and Fatah have agreed to reconcile, the Palestinian government faces the problem of paying the salaries of tens of thousands of employees from the Gaza Strip as it tries to revive the deteriorating economic situation.
Despite numerous failures in the past, many Palestinians and officials involved in the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation seem optimistic about this attempt. They now are evaluating the potential economic effects of the national consensus agreement signed Oct. 12 that reunites Fatah, which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, which administers the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) met Oct. 3 in Gaza for the first time since 2014, and the consensus government said Oct. 20 it will rotate its weekly meetings between Gaza and the West Bank. PA ministers will visit Gaza this week.
