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.



Stormy Weather Sweeps Away Tents Belonging to Displaced People in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians stand in front of tents along an inundated passage, following heavy rainfall north of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 24, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians stand in front of tents along an inundated passage, following heavy rainfall north of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 24, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Stormy Weather Sweeps Away Tents Belonging to Displaced People in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians stand in front of tents along an inundated passage, following heavy rainfall north of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 24, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians stand in front of tents along an inundated passage, following heavy rainfall north of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 24, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Weather is compounding the challenges facing displaced people in Gaza, where heavy rains and dropping temperatures are making tents and other temporary shelters uninhabitable.

Government officials in the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave said on Monday that nearly 10,000 tents had been swept away by flooding over the past two days, adding to their earlier warnings about the risks facing those sheltering in low-lying floodplains, including areas designated as humanitarian zones.

Um Mohammad Marouf, a mother who fled bombardments in northern Gaza and now is sheltering with her family in a Gaza City tent said the downpour had covered her children and left everyone wet and vulnerable.

“We have nothing to protect ourselves,” she said outside the United Nations-provided tent where she lives with 10 family members.

Marouf and others living in rows of cloth and nylon tents hung their drenched clothing on drying lines and re-erected their tarpaulin walls on Monday.

Officials from the Hamas-run government said that 81% of the 135,000 tents appeared unfit for shelter, based on recent assessments, and blamed Israel for preventing the entry of additional needed tents. They said many had been swept away by seawater or were inadequate to house displaced people as winter sets in.

The UNestimates that around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services. Israeli evacuation warnings now cover around 90% of the territory.

“The first rains of the winter season mean even more suffering. Around half a million people are at risk in areas of flooding. The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every strike,” UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote in a statement on X on Monday.