Several Palestinian sources have revealed details of meetings held in Cairo days ago between a senior Fatah delegation and leaders and representatives of Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas. The discussions ended with an agreement to resume talks in the near future.
Two sources, one from Hamas and another from a different Palestinian faction, separately told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings would resume after the Israeli Knesset elections scheduled for next Tuesday, with the aim of reaching an agreement.
The Hamas source said two meetings had been held between the movement's delegation, which included Zaher Jabarin, head of its political bureau in the West Bank, and political bureau members Ghazi Hamad and Hussam Badran, and a Fatah delegation led by Jibril Rajoub and including Mohammad Shtayyeh.
The source noted that the first meeting was attended by Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdel Khalek, the Egyptian intelligence official responsible for Palestinian affairs.
While the Hamas source described the first meeting as positive, a Fatah source and two representatives of other Palestinian factions who had been briefed on its outcome offered a different assessment.
They said the meeting had produced no meaningful understandings or concrete basis for further progress, with one source describing its results as particularly poor.
Nevertheless, they acknowledged that the atmosphere had been constructive, with both sides showing a willingness to listen to each other's demands.
All four sources said the Hamas delegation had raised several issues during the first meeting, including restructuring the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Supreme Court, employment, the future of employees in Gaza, passports and objections to the Palestinian Authority security services' treatment of Hamas members in the West Bank.
Hamas emphasized the need to resolve these issues as essential steps toward ending the Palestinian political division.
However, discussions focused primarily on the PLO and the need to address broader questions concerning the Palestinian national project and its future.
The second meeting, which most sources described as more significant and serious, saw the Fatah delegation present a document from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas containing several demands that Hamas would be required to accept.
Asharq Al-Awsat revealed the contents of the document late last month.
The demands included ending the consequences of the Hamas takeover of Gaza and committing to a single governing system, one law and one legitimate armed force.
They also called for recognition of the PLO and its political program as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, adherence to peaceful popular resistance, and commitment to a political settlement based on the two-state solution in accordance with international resolutions.
The document further stipulated the formation of a technocratic government by decision of President Abbas, with authority over the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
It also required that responsibility for negotiations toward a comprehensive peace agreement remain exclusively with the PLO.
Hamas Reservations
According to a Hamas source and another Palestinian faction representative, the Hamas delegation raised reservations about three provisions in Abbas's document.
The sources said Hamas had no objection to recognizing the PLO and its political program but would not recognize the organization's commitments, particularly those concerning recognition of Israel, security coordination with Israeli authorities and other political arrangements governing Palestinian relations with Israel.
A second point of disagreement concerned Hamas's acceptance of a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders while refusing to recognize Israel as a second state without a clear process and concrete steps toward implementing a two-state solution.
The third issue concerned restricting resistance exclusively to peaceful methods.
The Hamas delegation requested alternative wording that would not rule out other forms of resistance.
According to the same sources, these issues remained unresolved.
The Fatah delegation informed Hamas representatives that it would refer the disputed provisions for internal discussions within the movement and consultations with President Abbas, who appeared determined to secure Hamas's acceptance of the document in its entirety.
Meetings with Other Palestinian Factions
The Fatah and Hamas delegations also met representatives of other Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Fatah Democratic Reform Current led by Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah leader who broke away from the movement.
The meetings addressed many of the same issues, although discussions between Fatah and Dahlan's faction focused primarily on internal reconciliation.
Dahlan's representatives presented demands calling for the reinstatement of all members expelled from Fatah, the restoration of salaries to those whose payments had been suspended, and the reintegration of all members into the movement's governing bodies, including the Central Committee and Revolutionary Council.
Rajoub confirmed that these demands would be conveyed to President Abbas.
The Fatah delegation also met the leadership of Islamic Jihad in discussions that sources from both movements described as highly positive.
A Fatah source said Islamic Jihad had affirmed its commitment to any agreement reached through national consensus.
The group also requested a change to the wording concerning resistance, objecting to restricting it exclusively to peaceful popular resistance.
Four sources from Hamas and other Palestinian factions revealed that Egyptian officials had made clear that it was not Cairo's responsibility to convene a Palestinian national dialogue.
They said the decision to call such a dialogue must come from President Abbas, although Egypt remained fully prepared to host it.
According to the sources, Egyptian officials stressed to all the factions that bilateral meetings should pave the way for agreement on the outstanding issues before a comprehensive national dialogue is convened.
Cairo emphasized the importance of avoiding another failed reconciliation effort, insisting that broad agreement on the key issues should be reached before launching formal national talks.
The Egyptian side also pointed out that such a dialogue would attract close attention not only from Palestinians but also from Arab and Islamic countries, European governments and the United States.
A successful dialogue could help open the way for an internationally supported political process that would shape the options available to Palestinians and determine the future direction of their national cause.
