Palestinian unity deal signed – but partial
Gaza’s Rafah crossing passes from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority on Nov. 1; the enclave’s central administration – on Dec. 1
The Egyptian-brokered deal hailed by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as “the end of the rift,” is cautiously seen in Cairo as a partial resolution of the dispute between the Fatah and Hamas rival factions.
The reconciliation accord was announced at dawn Thursday, Oct 10, by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after night-long negotiations at the Egyptian intelligence ministry in Cairo. The promised news conference at which details of the agreement were to be revealed by Egyptian mediators and Palestinian officials did not take place.
Egyptian sources reveal that seven points of agreement were hammered out:
- The two Palestinian parties will meet in one month to set out the date and modalities for elections to the presidency and parliament.
- Before then, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will spend a few days in the Gaza Strip, his first visit there in a decade since Hamas ousted his Fatah party in a military coup..
- A joint Palestinian Authority-Hamas commission will determine procedures for the merger of the PA and Gaza governing administrations. The future of the 60,000 people employed by the Gaza administration must also be decided.
- In the next two weeks, Hamas will transfer into Egyptian hands control of the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip to Egyptian Sinai.
- The Palestinian Authority will take charge of the Rafah crossing from Egyptian officials – not directly from Hamas.
- Up until the parties come to terms on Gaza Strip’s electricity bill – which the Palestinian Authority has refused to cover for months – Egypt and Israel will provide the enclave with fuel for running the grid.
- The main sticking point in the reconciliation process – control of Hamas’ armed wing and arsenal – appears to have been left out of the deal signed Thursday. Hamas has consistently objected to foregoing or sharing control of its militia. Non-Egyptian sources report that the Palestinian Authority is to deploy 30,000 members of its security battalions to the Gaza Strip, but make no mention of coordination between the two forces. Cairo does not refer to this question.
Hamas, which calls for Israel’s destruction, has fought three wars with the Jewish state and its armed wing is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the European Union and other powers.
Israel has said it will not deal with a Palestinian government that contains Hamas ministers.
This will last how long?
Haniya and others in PA outfit with RPG and scud/grad rockets susidized by I ran/Qatar/Turkey will keep the Israeli border quiet.
Hopefully they (Hamas and Fatah) will resume the local Gazan custom of throwing each other of roofs in the near future.
Combine this with Egypt making the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and the mood in Cairo is surely “UP”.
المبرو
This morning’s agreement IS a significant change in the dynamic in the Holy Land and Middle East. A positive change at that.
Intra-Palestinian co-operation should come within and under a certain divinely mandated management paradigm in the Holy Land. The divinely mandated management paradigm/structure for the Holy Land is actually a Commonwealth/Federation/Kingdom.
The “Two States” idea is flawed. A contiguous Palestinian state connecting the West Bank to Gaza impractical. Gas, water, roads etc. Balagan ! (Look how the Pakistan – East Pakistan experiment of 1955 to 1971 turned out.)
A Holy Land Commonwealth/Confederation based on the five zones idea will transcend/trump, excuse the word, the “Two State” solution.
The Five Zones of this Holy Land Commonwealth are:
The Platform
The Old City
Judea & Samaria/The West Bank
Israel
Gaza
Current GDP of the 5 Holy Land Zones + Egypt, Saudi, Jordan, Syria & Lebanon is $1.6 Trillion. This can reach 4.2 Trillion by 2050 if various leaders make the right decisions.
Solomon’s form of government should be studied by Israelis/Jews & others. As King he presided over different sovereign areas. Co-operation.
P.S. The people in the south of Israel know just how important various decisions made by the leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah really are. (Remember the disastrous Gaza – Israel War of 2014.)
Who gets to steal the money the international community donates to the palestinians. Now that is the real question!
Hamas and the PA will eventually kill each other. I am not too happy about Egypt having control of the Rafah border crossing although at this point in time it is most likely the best way to secure it. Gaza is part of Israel and it will return to Jewish hands in the near future.