Palestinian rivals closer to ending 7-year rift

GAZA CITY — Rivals Hamas and Fateh are moving towards a unity government as early as next week, in what seems to be their most promising attempt yet to heal a seven-year split that weakened the case for Palestinian statehood.

Both are propelled by crisis. The Islamist Hamas group, which seized the Gaza Strip from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fateh in 2007, is having trouble governing alone because of crippling financial problems. 

Abbas needs a new political programme after his strategy of statehood through talks with Israel yielded deadlock. 

Yet even if the sides manage to replace their competing governments in the West Bank and Gaza with a joint one, the potential of failure remains high because of their ideological divide and the false starts of the past.

Abbas is to head a temporary government of 15 independent technocrats that prepares for elections for president, parliament and the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the main Palestinian representative body of which Hamas is currently not a member.

The Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament, inactive since the 2007 split, is to resume its work until new elections are held.

Abbas returned to the West Bank from abroad Monday, and is to begin selecting government ministers from names accepted by both sides. 

Under previous understandings, he would retain his job as president and also serve as prime minister, but the possibility has been raised that he might name someone else as prime minister to ease his work load. 

The government should be formed by May 27, or five weeks after the latest reconciliation deal was struck, though an extension is possible. 

The government is to remain in power for at least six months. Parliament should resume work a month after the Cabinet is formed.

For Hamas, reconciliation offers a possible entry to the PLO and with that greater political legitimacy.

The two groups’ security forces are to merge under terms negotiated by an Egyptian-led committee.

The Hamas government has a security force of 16,500. 

Separately, the Hamas movement commands a 20,000-strong military wing. 

In the West Bank, Abbas’ 34,000-strong security force, including officers trained by the US, coordinates with Israel in security operations.

Gaza analyst Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas will never accept the dismantling of its military wing, the base of its power in Gaza, while Israel and the US will not accept bringing Hamas loyalists into the West Bank security forces.

After the formation of the new government, 3,000 Fateh loyalists who worked for Gaza security before the Hamas takeover are to return to their jobs.