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Fatah Eyes Regulating Arms in Gaza, not Demilitarization

Fatah Eyes Regulating Arms in Gaza, not Demilitarization

Wednesday, 15 November, 2017 - 09:15
Palestinian fighters of the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of Hamas, pose with weapons between a destroyed houses in Al-Shejaeiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, 27 August 2014. EPA

Security among Palestinians has been a part of the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement and it is odd that many have chosen to give this topic the spotlight, a high-ranking Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.


Both parties agreed to resolve the security crisis with patience and tolerance, added the source.


“There is an agreement between the two movements to avoid dealing with this file hastily, keep it away from media, and solve it calmly in the second stage.”


“So as not to fail reconciliation efforts,” explained the source.


They also reaffirmed that the Egyptian side is aware of this agreement and encourages the initiative, and will be responsible for restructuring Gaza security services. Egyptian guardianship is well-recognized by both Palestinian parties.


Addressing Palestinians, the source urged everyone to keep spokes out of the wheel of reconciliation.


According to the source, this file will gain momentum as Fatah-Hamas meetings unfold.


Discussing and calibrating security needs time, effort and specialized committees.


“Security will not be resolved in a session or two,” added the source.


The source’s remarks were in response to Palestinian criticism striking hard on the absence of security, and in reply to the envoy of US President to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, who asked the Palestinian Authority to impose its security responsibility on Gaza.


Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, have sweeping control over the Gaza Strip with a sufficient number of fighters, weapons and rockets.


It is worth noting that the Qassam Brigades, in a single decade, have entered into three major confrontations with Israel.


More so, Hamas says that its armed wing is preparing for liberation.


But Nasser al-Kidwa, a member of Fatah's central committee, hinted that the only means to securing stability is a practical vision involving compromise on both ends.


This compromise sees that both sides could agree on stabilizing security without definitive disarmament, said Kidwa.


The Fatah official also discussed regulating arms power several times.


"Weapon must be subjugated to a Palestinian national and political leadership and under the authority of one government," said Kidwa in a Tuesday statement.


All Palestinian factions should be a part of a national consensus program based on the principle of full political partnership between all Palestinian parties, he added.


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