BICOM

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo yesterday to sign a new reconciliation agreement between his Fatah party and the Islamist Hamas movement. According to media reports, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal is also in Cairo for the signing, and met yesterday with Egyptian intelligence head Mourad Mowafi. The deal is intended to pave the way for new Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections within a year, and for the formation of an interim government of non-aligned ‘technocrats’. The new government will rule in the Gaza Strip and the parts of the West Bank controlled by the Palestinians. Three Israeli-Arab Knesset Members, Mohammed Barakeh, Ahmed Tibi and Taleb a-Sana’a, will also take part in the ceremony to mark the agreement. Egyptian media reported that each side will release prisoners identified with the other faction following the signing, and that talks on setting up the new government will begin immediately following the signing ceremony.

A large number of question remarks remain regarding the implementation of the agreement. The political and ideological gaps between the Ramallah Palestinian leadership and that of Hamas remain considerable.  Hamas claimed yesterday that four of its activists were arrested in the West Bank by PA security forces, despite plans for an upcoming release of prisoners. If the PA begins to release Hamas prisoners in its custody, it is likely to precipitate a serious crisis in its relations with Israel and the West. More broadly, if there is cooperation between PA and Hamas security forces, this may again create an anomalous situation, in which the West will be financing forces including members of a designated terrorist organization. Fatah and Hamas appear to be looking for ways to circumvent these issues. According a report in today’s Ma’ariv newspaper, the Palestinian factions plan to freeze for the time being any changes in the existing security situation. It remains to be seen if such an arrangement is credible or sustainable.