Hamas and Fatah Move towards Reconciliation over Gaza

The Palestinian reconciliation process has ended the decades-old conflict between Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas. This now puts the onus on President Mahmoud Abbas to strengthen the case for Palestinian statehood without conceding to the terms dictated by the United States and Israel. This also means some respite to the people in the Gaza strip who are living under catastrophic humanitarian conditions imposed by the Israeli siege.

Since 2006 after the massive victory of Hamas in Gaza elections, Hamas and Fatah have been at odds. The refusal by Abbas to accept the victory of Hamas and the abortive coup led by Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan backed by Israel and the United States furthered widened the strife between the two rival Palestinian factions.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah held a cabinet meeting in Gaza announcing the end of the hostilities between the two rival Palestinian factions. The reconciliation process, mediated and monitored by Egypt, had led to the Hamas disbanding its civilian administrative committee in Gaza and handing it over to the PA.

Washington on its part attempted to play a role in the issue as Trump announced his intention to broker a peace deal involving the Palestinian Authority. “There is another old-new twist in the Trump administration playbook: an attempt to persuade the United States’ Arab clients to put pressure on the Palestinians to accept Israeli-American (dictates),” Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi wrote. “This approach is being resuscitated by the new administration, in collaboration with Israel, whose right-wing government has increasingly close relations with the Arab Gulf states.”

Officially, Israel has responded coldly to the reconciliation process. Michael Oren, deputy minister for diplomacy in Netanyahu's cabinet, said a key issue for Tel Aviv was whether Hamas, an armed resistance group, would retain its weapons. "If it does, then it's a non-starter for Israel," he said.

Despite multiple attempts over the years aimed at reconciling the groups, the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly failed to follow through on promises of reconciliation and holding of long-overdue elections, as both movements have frequently blamed each other for numerous political failures. A unity government had been formed in 2014 between the two factions but failed to function due to hostilities over responsibilities. All the previous reconciliation attempts – Mecca Deal (2007), Sanna deal (2008), Cairo deal (2011), and Doha agreement (2012) – brokered by major Arab powers had failed, allegedly due to the pressure from Israel and US.

The recent effort to bridge ties is happening in the backdrop of changing the geopolitical dynamic in the region. Egypt has emerged as a strong regional player as it joined Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in isolating Qatar over alleged ‘terror funding’. The economic blockade of Qatar, along with the pressure imposed on Hamas by President Abbas by slashing salaries of civil servants and working with the Israelis to reduce electricity supplies to the besieged coastal region had created an explosive humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The return of Dahlan, a rival of Abbas considered a major player in the recent truce process has been backed by both Israel and Arab allies of the US. Critics have alleged that Dahlan is using the leverage of his closeness to Israel and the West in attempting to come back and sideline Abbas. Despite accepting major concessions for the reconciliation, Hamas still remains the dominant power in the Gaza strip.

The major bone of contention in the implementation of the truce process would be the future of Hamas’s armed wing and its weapons. Hamas has categorically stated that it will retain its arms and capacity to wage armed resistance in self-defence. On the other hand, President Abbas is firm about ensuring consolidation of authority over both civilian and security apparatus. In an interview with the Egyptian TV station CBC, Abbas stressed on disarmament: "Everything must be in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, it must be the one to control the crossing points (in and out of Gaza).”

President Abbas and Hamas both have considerable interests in ensuring the implementation of the reconciliation process. Hamas with its new charter has stated its willingness to be a part of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to fight for liberation by accepting the statehood with 1967 borders and supporting the non-violent resistance with the right of recourse to armed resistance in self-defence.

The people of Palestine are optimistic but careful. “It is a day of Eid, a national holiday,” Abdel-Majid Ali, 46, told Reuters. “We hope this time reconciliation is for real.” Analysts said narrowing internal divisions could help Western-backed Abbas counter Israel’s argument that it has no negotiating partner for peace with the Palestinians. Amidst the pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv, the state of national unity provides an opportunity for Abbas-led Palestinian Authority to redraw the boundaries of any future negotiations for the statehood of Palestine.

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