Hopeful outcome

The breakthrough in the talks in Cairo between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to hand civil and administrative  control over Gaza to PA is certainly welcome, especially if the two sides follow through on their historic agreement.

The successful talks in Cairo cemented last April’s accord between the two sides to form a unity government and end the standoff between these two main Palestinian factions for all times.

What may have helped the progress during the Cairo talks could be the fact that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, reached in August, made reference to the PA role as the side responsible for all civil and administrative duties in the Gaza Strip.

Now that the two Palestinian sides have finally come to a promising and binding agreement, the issue of unpaid salaries of civil servants in Gaza can be rectified, by PA making good on the overdue payments.

Moreover, the thorny issue of who will have control over the Gaza border crossing can also be addressed, with PA and the UN sharing responsibility, which would be to the satisfaction of both Israel and the Palestinians.

Hopefully the Egypt-mediated talks between PA and Hamas will usher in a new era in the inter-Palestinian relations that would put their past hostilities behind.

The next few weeks will put to the test this latest accord, but it is hoped that the two sides are now committed to end their confrontations, which only damage the overall Palestinian interests.

The peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel had stopped due to the 51-day-long war on Gaza in August, but Palestinian unity could help prospects for a new round of talks.

PA and Hamas must not fail their people once again. They should show maturity and, above all, show that they care about the Palestinian people and its right cause, not about their narrow interests.