Palestinian Reconciliation Deal: Implementation Hinges on Good Intentions

A photo distributed by the Algerian presidency of President Tebboune’s visit to the headquarters of the Palestinian Conference
A photo distributed by the Algerian presidency of President Tebboune’s visit to the headquarters of the Palestinian Conference
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Palestinian Reconciliation Deal: Implementation Hinges on Good Intentions

A photo distributed by the Algerian presidency of President Tebboune’s visit to the headquarters of the Palestinian Conference
A photo distributed by the Algerian presidency of President Tebboune’s visit to the headquarters of the Palestinian Conference

The Palestinian factions signed the Algiers Declaration for Palestinian reconciliation, following amendments that included removing the clause pertaining to the formation of a national unity government that adheres to international legitimacy.

Munir al-Jaghoub, an official in the Fatah movement’s commission, said that the factions signed the declaration, which included nine articles stressing the representative position of the PLO, and the need to unify and rebuild the political system through comprehensive elections.

The text of the Algiers declaration, which was published by the Palestinian factions, emphasized the importance of national unity as a basis for steadfastness, and for confronting and resisting the occupation. It also called for the achievement of the legitimate goals of the Palestinian people, and for adopting the language of dialogue and consultation to resolve differences.

The final agreement was reached after deleting a clause that included “the formation of a national unity government that adheres to international legitimacy and enjoys the support of various factions, and whose main task is to implement a unified national strategy to confront the occupation, and to take into account the dangerous developments on the regional and international arenas and their repercussions on the future of the Palestinian cause.”

Sources in Ramallah told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas movement objected to the clause and asked to remove the “commitment to international legitimacy.” Fatah refused and later demanded that the clause be deleted.

Walid Al-Awad, a member of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian People’s Party, said that any agreement that does not stipulate the formation of a unified government that works on the unity of institutions, prepares for elections and addresses crises, will be like “throwing dust in the eyes.”

“Despite the positive expressions in the Algiers Declaration, the agreement means managing the division on the one hand, and continuing to work within agreements with the occupation, on the other,” he added.

The Fatah and Hamas movements have signed many agreements over the past years, all of which could not be executed.

Political analyst Muhammad Hawash told Asharq Al-Awsat that he saw no difference between previous agreements and the recent declaration, stressing that the latter was formulated in a way that does not meet the needs of the unified political system and the situation in Palestine.

The agreement is “meaningless, unless it is combined with practical and operational steps to end the division,” he stated.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)

Politicians in Beirut said they have not received any credible information about Washington resuming its mediation efforts towards reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon despite reports to the contrary.

Efforts came to a halt after US envoy Amos Hochstein’s last visit to Beirut three weeks ago.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri dismissed the reports as media fodder, saying nothing official has been received.

Lebanon is awaiting tangible proposals on which it can build its position, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The only credible proposal on the table is United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, whose articles must be implemented in full by Lebanon and Israel, “not just Lebanon alone,” he stressed.

Resolution 1701 was issued to end the 2006 July war between Hezbollah and Israel and calls for removing all weapons from southern Lebanon and that the only armed presence there be restricted to the army and UN peacekeepers.

Western diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri opposes one of the most important articles of the proposed solution to end the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

He is opposed to the German and British participation in the proposed mechanism to monitor the implementation of resolution 1701. The other participants are the United States and France.

Other sources said Berri is opposed to the mechanism itself since one is already available and it is embodied in the UN peacekeepers, whom the US and France can join.

The sources revealed that the solution to the conflict has a foreign and internal aspect. The foreign one includes Israel, the US and Russia and seeks guarantees that would prevent Hezbollah from rearming itself. The second covers Lebanese guarantees on the implementation of resolution 1701.

Berri refused to comment on the media reports, but told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the first time that discussions are being held about guarantees.

He added that “Israel is now in crisis because it has failed to achieve its military objectives, so it has resorted to more killing and destruction undeterred.”

He highlighted the “steadfastness of the UN peacekeepers in the South who have refused to leave their positions despite the repeated Israeli attacks.”