Palesteenian Reconciliation Jeopardized As Hamas, Fatah Tensions Rise

[JStone]

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement said on Sunday it would have to re-evaluate its reconciliation pact with the Islamist Hamas group following the rejection of a Fatah visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip last week.

In a statement, Fatah’s Central Committee said Hamas’s behaviour showed it was not interested in the implementation of the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last year, which included the formation of a unity government and the holding of a parliamentary election on May 4.

Tension between the two Palestinian factions contrasts with the positive atmosphere stressed by both sides in December, when Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal met in Cairo and agreed on steps to end hostility.

Fatah said three of its senior officials had been stopped by Hamas security officers at the entrance to the Israeli-blockaded territory on Friday and had been forced to turn back.

The action by Hamas officers was “inadequate and humiliating,” Fatah said in a statement.

Hamas in turn accused Fatah of reneging on the Egyptian-brokered deal to end four years of bitter rivalry that has split the Palestinian national movement.

Hamas, Fatah tensions rise, jeopardize Palestinian reconciliation | News | National Post