Representatives of the Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas will discuss a possible joint government in Moscow tomorrow. This was reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, based on the Palestinian ambassador in Moscow and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reconstruction of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is also on the agenda.
After the first and so far only Palestinian elections in 2006, which were won by Hamas, a violent conflict broke out between Hamas and Fatah. Since then, the administration of the Palestinian territories has been divided between Fatah and Hamas. Fatah heads the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized authority in the Palestinian territories that in practice only controls parts of the occupied West Bank. Hamas holds sway in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera, Fatah and Hamas, together with other parties, are looking at the possibility of setting up a government team that has support from both parties. This would involve a kind of business cabinet with people without close political ties.
Last Monday, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh submitted his resignation and that of his government to President Mahmoud Abbas. He then pointed out ‘the need for internal consensus based on Palestinian unity’ when making new agreements for the governance of the Palestinian territories.
The United States has long been pushing for a reform of the Palestinian Authority, which should play a role in the future governance of the Gaza Strip. Israel has so far categorically refused. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, there is no essential difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. In the plans that Israel has so far disseminated for the future Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip, there is no room whatsoever for Palestinians who have ties in one way or another with Hamas.
Thom Canters
2024-02-28 15:56:15
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