BICOM

Israel and Hamas will reportedly begin indirect talks tomorrow in Cairo over a long-term Gaza ceasefire. However, Hamas and Fatah representatives will meet today in an attempt to present a unified Palestinian position.

The Egyptian-brokered open-ended truce on 26 August, which put an end to the 50-day Operation Protective Edge, has held firm. However, the terms stipulated that Israel and Hamas would return to talks within a month in order to discuss longer-term issues regarding the Gaza Strip. It is reported by Israel Hayom that the two sides are expected to begin such negotiations in Cairo on Tuesday, although they will not meet face to face. Among the issues yet to be resolved are Israel’s request for the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip and Hamas’s demand to construct an airport and sea port.

However, there are also plenty of issues to be resolved before then between Hamas and the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Senior Fatah official Sakher Bseiso told AFP that they will need to agree a “unified Palestinian strategy” as, “Negotiations with Israel must be based on a clear vision on which the Palestinians, particularly Fatah and Hamas, will agree in advance.”

However, the two sides disagree over the very future governance of Gaza and other issues such as the salaries of 40,000 Hamas government employees. Earlier this month, Abbas accused Hamas of running a “shadow government” in Gaza. He called for Hamas to respect “one authority, one gun, one law” under the PA or else risk Palestinian unity.

Last week, the United Nations, Israel and the PA agreed a mechanism for building materials to enter Gaza, by-passing Hamas from the process. The international community broadly supports the PA as the central address for coordinating Gaza’s reconstruction, while its forces are earmarked to man the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. However, Hamas is unlikely to relinquish its control or administration of Gaza, which it has ruled since violently overthrowing Fatah in 2007.