The spokesman for the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Abdel Fattah Dawla, said Tuesday that the movement “will not accept any formula that entrenches division with the West Bank,” stressing that Fatah’s participation in any national meeting “will be based on Palestinian national principles.”
Dawla spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat following reports of a meeting in Cairo on Friday between several Palestinian factions, noting that “Fatah was not present at that gathering, which brought together a number of Palestinian factions in Egypt in response to Cairo’s sincere efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and prepare for the next stages of the politically agreed Arab and international plan.”
He added that the plan aims to “ensure a unified Palestinian position and prevent any gaps or pretexts that could hinder its implementation.”
“We in Fatah are following these meetings closely,” Dawla said.
“We have always stressed that any successful Palestinian dialogue must begin from the Palestinian national legitimacy represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Palestine, and that its outcomes must align with the unified national vision and our people’s higher interests, away from narrow factional agendas.”
In a joint statement issued Friday, the factions that met in Cairo, excluding Fatah, agreed to “support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement, hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee made up of independent figures from Gaza, and form an international committee to oversee the funding and implementation of Gaza’s reconstruction.”
They also reaffirmed “the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independence of national decision-making,” calling for “an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.”
Responding to that statement, Dawla said Fatah had “reviewed the factions’ communiqué and had a number of fundamental observations,” stressing that “what those factions issued once again confirms that the only true guarantor of any comprehensive Palestinian vision is to start from the framework of national legitimacy represented by the PLO and the State of Palestine, as they remain the sole umbrella capable of protecting the national project from marginalization or attempts to create alternatives.”
Fatah, in response to the factions’ statement, also reaffirmed that “rallying around the Palestinian priorities, ending the war, ensuring Israel’s full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, restoring normal life to the enclave, preventing displacement, and achieving a prisoner exchange, is the right path that all forces should unite behind, instead of engaging in partial steps or factional calculations that weaken the national position,” Dawla said.
Disagreements surfaced over the leadership of the proposed committee to administer Gaza after Israeli media reported Sunday that the factions had agreed to appoint Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, as chairman of the administrative committee.
Commenting on the controversy, Dawla stressed that “Fatah’s position is clear and unwavering, we do not disagree over individuals, but over national legitimacy. The committee must be chaired by a minister from the Government of the State of Palestine.”
He said this stance “is the true guarantee of the unity of the political system and the prevention of any attempt to perpetuate division or create parallel frameworks to national legitimacy.” Any arrangement “managed outside the framework of the legitimate Palestinian government,” he added, “would effectively undermine the national foundation of the Palestinian state and serve Israel’s goals of separating Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
“We in Fatah remain committed to the understandings previously reached with all factions, including Hamas, which were endorsed by the Arab and Islamic summits last March,” Dawla said. “Any retreat from those understandings would be a deviation from national consensus.”
Dawla reaffirmed that “Fatah is not seeking alternative plans that perpetuate division, but remains committed to one clear national plan to end the split and restore institutional unity under the Government of the State of Palestine.” Any other path, he warned, “serves only the occupation’s project, which from day one of the coup has sought to separate Gaza from the West Bank.”
“Our position is principled and clear: no state in Gaza, and no state without Gaza,” Dawla said. “We therefore reject all formulas that legitimize division under any pretext, while keeping the door of dialogue open in service of the higher national interest and the unity of the Palestinian political system.”
He added that Fatah and Egypt are engaged in “ongoing communication and coordination” regarding the next phase in Gaza.
“We understand Egypt’s role and our own responsibilities in helping end the war, manage Gaza’s affairs, and move toward a political process leading to a comprehensive solution based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution,” he said.
As for Fatah’s participation in the expanded dialogue expected in Cairo in early November, Dawla said, “So far, no official invitation has been issued, nor has a final date been set for a general conference of the factions. But we in Fatah have always affirmed that comprehensive national dialogue is a national necessity, not a political luxury.”
He concluded: “We are ready to take part in any genuine national meeting founded on clear principles and under the framework of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of our people. The success of any such meeting depends on everyone’s commitment to the national constants, foremost among them the unity of geography, political system, and civil and security institutions of the State of Palestine.”
“National unity,” he said, “is a fixed Fatah principle, it cannot be compromised. But it will not be built on superficial understandings; it must rest on a solid political foundation that protects our national project from fragmentation and division.”
