The Fatah delegation, led by Jibril Rajoub, who is in talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, and Saleh Aruri, his deputy, is expected to leave Thursday night for further contacts and consultations in Doha, Qatar, and from there to Cairo, Egypt.
The delegation will update the Qataris and Egypt on recent developments on the issue of unity between Hamas and Fatah after Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas already updated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last night.
The talks in Turkey are focusing on Hamas’ conditions for unity with Fatah and the issue of elections in the PA leadership, as a condition for unity: Hamas demands representation in the PLO, a third of the members of the Palestinian National Council, and also demands a reduction in the functions of the Executive Committee and the Central Council, thereby strengthening its relative power in the Palestinian decision-making system.
As for the elections in the PA, Hamas demands elections not only for the parliament but also for the presidency. Hamas has made this demand last year and agreed to all the conditions set by Abbas and dragged him to agree to the presidential election.
A PA source told TPS that Fatah will try to restrict Hamas to act only in the framework of the popular protest against Israel to bring its consent to the parliamentary elections only. Fatah is also trying to reach an agreement that a unity government will be formed only after the election and according to a relative key.
“But the big question,” says the source, “is regarding Hamas’ agreement to join the PLO on the basis of its recognition of Israel and the Palestinian position on the state within the 1967 borders.”
Rajoub’s trip to Cairo comes, according to Palestinian sources, following a great deal of anger from Egypt over the move he is leading to uniting with Hamas, but even more so, following the transfer of responsibility for the reconciliation case to Turkey instead of Egypt.
The reconciliation case for many years has been in Egyptian hands and was now transferred to Erdogan, who is in conflict with Egypt and undermines Egyptian prestige and the power of its influence on the Palestinian system.
It is important to note that Abbas is also behind the tightening of ties with Turkey and on Tuesday asked Erdogan to send observers to oversee the election process in the PA.
A Palestinian source told TPS that Turkey has been asked to guarantee the proper course of the election, but more importantly, to ensure that all parties accept the results and back the opposing side.
Angry messages have recently been sent from Egypt to Abbas also following Jibril Rajoub’s unity show with Saleh Aruri about two months ago, but the Palestinian system has recently turned to the Turkish and Qatari axes, following the cold shoulder it is receiving from moderate Arab countries and the Arab League and certainly in view of the peace agreements that have been signed with Israel and those that are expected to come.
Meanwhile, although senior Fatah and PA officials declare that there is progress in the talks with Hamas, sources who spoke with TPS indicate that there is great concern in the field about the move by Abbas, which could give Hamas shares in the PLO and certainly in the Palestinian Authority.
Hussein A-Sheikh, the PA Minister of Civil Affairs and senior Fatah official, tweeted that these are positive negotiations, while the PA’s prime minister, Muhammad Shtayyeh, promised to provide everything needed for the election and welcomed the positive atmosphere in the talks in Istanbul.
On the other hand, it has been reported that other Fatah figures, including Azzam al-Ahmad, who has been in charge of reconciliation in recent years before Rajoub “robbed” him of it, expressed dissatisfaction with Hamas’ terms, which could lead to defeat in the elections if and when they take place and the destabilization of the stability in the Palestinian Authority.
A Palestinian Foreign Ministry spokesman told TPS that Abbas “is imprisoning himself in the election jail and he could lose the PLO or tear it up as he tore Gaza from the West Bank, just to pull more time in his tenure …” Last year, intelligence officials warned the PA against an election move.
The Palestinian diplomat added, that “it seems that Abu Mazen is doing his best to present to the UN in his forthcoming speech, his work for Palestinian democracy and is willing to gamble on the PLO as well.”
Hamas is also facing criticism, apparently from its military wing, on the reconciliation intentions of Aruri, who is in charge of military activities in the organization. TPS has learned that elements in the military arm accuse Aruri that the step designed to advance him ahead of the upcoming elections to the Hamas leadership. The military arm fears that any reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority will inevitably lead to a reduction in their freedom of action.
Hamas has also been subjected to a very sharp media attack by Egypt in recent days. A source in the Gaza Strip told TPS that such a sharp attack, which is taking place mainly in the media and social networks, has not happened for three years. This is due to the fact that it was Hamas that initiated the transfer of the reconciliation portfolio from Egypt to Turkey.
It should be noted that in recent years Hamas has also been working to give priority to Qatari mediation with Israel in the Gaza Strip instead of Egypt. The last round of mediation in which the Egyptians failed was only one event within an ongoing trend.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority is toying with the idea of elections in eastern Jerusalem as well. One of the proposals that have come up recently is to allow city residents to vote electronically or through an app. Another possibility that now arises is to reach an agreement between Hamas and Fatah on the appointment of representatives of the organizations living in eastern Jerusalem and their inclusion in the lists leading up to the elections, without the need to run.
The road to unity and elections in the Palestinian Authority is still long, but while Fatah believes that the elections are necessary to renew the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas sees this as a strategic opportunity to bite into Fatah’s power.
It should be noted that as long as the issue of reorganization in the PLO does not arise and as long as Abbas is not willing to remove the economic sanctions he has imposed on the Gaza Strip for several years, it would not be correct to determine that there is unity between the organizations.
contacts and consultations in Doha, Qatar, and from there to Cairo, Egypt.
The delegation will update the Qataris and Egypt on recent developments on the issue of unity between Hamas and Fatah after Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas already updated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last night.
The talks in Turkey are focusing on Hamas’ conditions for unity with Fatah and the issue of elections in the PA leadership, as a condition for unity: Hamas demands representation in the PLO, a third of the members of the Palestinian National Council, and also demands a reduction in the functions of the Executive Committee and the Central Council, thereby strengthening its relative power in the Palestinian decision-making system.
As for the elections in the PA, Hamas demands elections not only for the parliament but also for the presidency. Hamas has made this demand last year and agreed to all the conditions set by Abbas and dragged him to agree to the presidential election.
A PA source told TPS that Fatah will try to restrict Hamas to act only in the framework of the popular protest against Israel to bring its consent to the parliamentary elections only. Fatah is also trying to reach an agreement that a unity government will be formed only after the election and according to a relative key.
“But the big question,” says the source, “is regarding Hamas’ agreement to join the PLO on the basis of its recognition of Israel and the Palestinian position on the state within the 1967 borders.”
Rajoub’s trip to Cairo comes, according to Palestinian sources, following a great deal of anger from Egypt over the move he is leading to uniting with Hamas, but even more so, following the transfer of responsibility for the reconciliation case to Turkey instead of Egypt.
The reconciliation case for many years has been in Egyptian hands and was now transferred to Erdogan, who is in conflict with Egypt and undermines Egyptian prestige and the power of its influence on the Palestinian system.
It is important to note that Abbas is also behind the tightening of ties with Turkey and on Tuesday asked Erdogan to send observers to oversee the election process in the PA.
A Palestinian source told TPS that Turkey has been asked to guarantee the proper course of the election, but more importantly, to ensure that all parties accept the results and back the opposing side.
Angry messages have recently been sent from Egypt to Abbas also following Jibril Rajoub’s unity show with Saleh Aruri about two months ago, but the Palestinian system has recently turned to the Turkish and Qatari axes, following the cold shoulder it is receiving from moderate Arab countries and the Arab League and certainly in view of the peace agreements that have been signed with Israel and those that are expected to come.
Meanwhile, although senior Fatah and PA officials declare that there is progress in the talks with Hamas, sources who spoke with TPS indicate that there is great concern in the field about the move by Abbas, which could give Hamas shares in the PLO and certainly in the Palestinian Authority.
Hussein A-Sheikh, the PA Minister of Civil Affairs and senior Fatah official, tweeted that these are positive negotiations, while the PA’s prime minister, Muhammad Shtayyeh, promised to provide everything needed for the election and welcomed the positive atmosphere in the talks in Istanbul.
On the other hand, it has been reported that other Fatah figures, including Azzam al-Ahmad, who has been in charge of reconciliation in recent years before Rajoub “robbed” him of it, expressed dissatisfaction with Hamas’ terms, which could lead to defeat in the elections if and when they take place and the destabilization of the stability in the Palestinian Authority.
A Palestinian Foreign Ministry spokesman told TPS that Abbas “is imprisoning himself in the election jail and he could lose the PLO or tear it up as he tore Gaza from the West Bank, just to pull more time in his tenure …” Last year, intelligence officials warned the PA against an election move.
The Palestinian diplomat added, that “it seems that Abu Mazen is doing his best to present to the UN in his forthcoming speech, his work for Palestinian democracy and is willing to gamble on the PLO as well.”
Hamas is also facing criticism, apparently from its military wing, on the reconciliation intentions of Aruri, who is in charge of military activities in the organization. TPS has learned that elements in the military arm accuse Aruri that the step designed to advance him ahead of the upcoming elections to the Hamas leadership. The military arm fears that any reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority will inevitably lead to a reduction in their freedom of action.
Hamas has also been subjected to a very sharp media attack by Egypt in recent days. A source in the Gaza Strip told TPS that such a sharp attack, which is taking place mainly in the media and social networks, has not happened for three years. This is due to the fact that it was Hamas that initiated the transfer of the reconciliation portfolio from Egypt to Turkey.
It should be noted that in recent years Hamas has also been working to give priority to Qatari mediation with Israel in the Gaza Strip instead of Egypt. The last round of mediation in which the Egyptians failed was only one event within an ongoing trend.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority is toying with the idea of elections in eastern Jerusalem as well. One of the proposals that have come up recently is to allow city residents to vote electronically or through an app. Another possibility that now arises is to reach an agreement between Hamas and Fatah on the appointment of representatives of the organizations living in eastern Jerusalem and their inclusion in the lists leading up to the elections, without the need to run.
The road to unity and elections in the Palestinian Authority is still long, but while Fatah believes that the elections are necessary to renew the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas sees this as a strategic opportunity to bite into Fatah’s power.
It should be noted that as long as the issue of reorganization in the PLO does not arise and as long as Abbas is not willing to remove the economic sanctions he has imposed on the Gaza Strip for several years, it would not be correct to determine that there is unity between the organizations.
