Attempts to complete the Palestinian reconciliation process, which has resumed in Cairo over the weekend, have been disrupted by unsettled disagreements over the Palestinian Authority’s failure to deploy its full authority over the Gaza Strip, according to Fatah, while Hamas is calling for easing pressure on the area.
Well-informed Egyptian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a meeting between the Hamas delegation and the representatives of the Egyptian intelligence body, in Cairo on Saturday evening, touched on government employees appointed by Hamas during the period of division, and the PA’s refusal to acknowledge their rights. The meeting also discussed Fatah’s reservations regarding the establishment of a security apparatus in Gaza.
Hamas also raised the problem of power shortage, according to the same sources.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, said: “An agreement has already been signed with (Hamas) and must be strictly implemented.”
He explained that the Palestinian government has not yet imposed its authority over the entire Gaza Strip, “while (the parallel government) of Hamas is still operating in the sector.”
Although the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that representatives of the Fatah movement were not present for the reconciliation talks, he said he expected members of the movement to join the meetings soon.
“It may be after tomorrow [Tuesday], if consensus was reached on some of the files under negotiation in Cairo,” the sources said.
In the same context, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Al-Ahmad to discuss consultations carried out by the Palestinian side both at the regional and international levels on the issue of Jerusalem, spokesman of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Abu Zeid, said.
He added that discussions focused on the impact of the US decision to consider Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, on the role of the United States as a broker of the peace process and the future of a just settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“The Palestinian Authority will not back down before the United States declares its commitment to the legitimate resolutions on Jerusalem,” Al-Ahmed told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The United States is part of this society and cannot dictate its will to everyone by force,” he added.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on Monday in Cairo, where he held talks with Shoukry.
