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.



Israeli Airstrikes Kill at Least 31 in Lebanon

 Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli strikes, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli strikes, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Airstrikes Kill at Least 31 in Lebanon

 Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli strikes, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli strikes, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Massive explosions lit up Lebanon’s skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites.

Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday.

The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities.

Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people.