Palestinians counting down for national reconciliation

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Sun, 01 Oct 2017 - 08:55 GMT

BY

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 - 08:55 GMT

Flag of Palestine - CC via wikimedia commons

Flag of Palestine - CC via wikimedia commons

CAIRO – 1 October 2017: All eyes are on Palestine this month, as it is expecting an end for a decade long of internal conflict and split between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Over the past 10 years, the Palestinian struggle towards freedom has been undermined by the internal division.

Despite a number of attempts to reconcile the Palestinian split, led by international and Arab efforts, only Egypt with its historical and political position was able to bring an end to this nightmare. Egypt managed to bring the conflicting Palestinian factions to overcome the obstacles and to invest the opportunities to create new conditions away from the fear of exclusion. Egypt helped the factions realize that they need to move forward towards a partnership based on the fact that Palestine is for all Palestinians.

Following my friends on various social media platforms, I can see how everyone is counting the hours to witness this long expected moment; a moment that will bring an end for a decade of the Palestinian shameful split and isolation from the world.

Several hashtags were launched to celebrate the news including a hashtag that translates to (with reconciliation)




Hammam Ibrahim says: Gaza lived in darkness as a result of the split, it is time to tear this page and to hope for a bright future.





Majd said: I am with reconciliation to compensate what we lost because of the split.




Fady said: An important day for Gaza tomorrow, we welcome the delegation of the Palestinian government, we hope this time to farewell the years of bitter division irreversibly.




Ameer said: The split is an open wound since 11 years ago, we lost young people and our dreams. We hope that this day is the last day of this bleeding.

Since I heard the news, the only picture that crossed my mind was how Palestinians realized the dream of every woman, man, girl and boy of being united once again as Palestinians.

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Latuff cartoon


Egypt Today presents a timeline of the most important events witnessed since announcing the steps to reconciliation and achieving the Palestinian unity:

September 17th: Hamas announced the dissolution of its administrative committee in the Gaza Strip, and invited the Consensus Government’s Prime Minster, Ramy al-Hamdallah to visit Gaza and assume his duties in the Strip. Hamas also called for holding general elections in Palestine. Furthermore, the movement confirmed complying with Cairo reconciliation accords 2011.

September 18th: Hamas announced accepting the reconciliation with Fatah and ending the internal split.

September 20th: During the U.N. General Assembly 72nd session, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi emphasized that security in the region is based on ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In the margins of the General Assembly session, Sisi held talks with Palestinian president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss boasting the peace talks.

September 24th: Fatah’s Central Committee (the highest decision-making body of the Palestinian Authority) praised Egypt’s role in the national Palestinian reconciliation.

September 25th: The United Nations (U.N.) Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolai Miladanov, visited the Gaza Strip for the first time. He was received by the head of Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Al-Senwar. Miladanov praised Egypt’s role in facilitating the reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah factions and to end the split.

On the same day the Supreme Authority of the Sectarian Palestinian Council organized a rally at the Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza to express gratitude to Egypt for its efforts in achieving reconciliation and ending the conflict between different Palestinian political factions.

September 26th: Hamas’ Political Chief, Ismail Haniyeh, expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s role in achieving conciliation between different Palestinian factions. He said that he requested Egypt to host the Palestinian National Council (PNC) session on its territories.

September 28th: The head of Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Senwar, said in a meeting with Palestinian youth in Gaza that “the national reconciliation is a strategic and irreversible option." Senwar also explained that Hamas was keen to resolve the administrative committee before the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September where the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech addressing the member states of the U.N.

September 29th: The Quartet of the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. issued a statement praising the Egyptian efforts to facilitate the Palestinian reconciliation and for creating the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza. The Quart also expressed its readiness to communicate with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to support the reconciliation.

This is the first statement issued by the group since years about Palestinian reconciliation, which confirms the existence of strong international support for the Egyptian efforts to end the Palestinian division.

October 1st: An Egyptian delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip to oversee the reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah. The Egyptian delegation consists of Egypt's Ambassador to Israel, Hazem Khairat, and generals Hamam Abu-Zeid and Sameh Kamel and is the first official delegation to travel to Gaza since 2012. Hamas spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, in a statement welcomed the Egyptian delegation and expressed appreciation for Egyptian efforts to encourage the reconciliation and end the Palestinian split.

Furthermore, Hamas freed five prisoners, who were jailed for two years, belonging to Fatah party

October 2nd: The Palestinian consensus government is expected to arrive in Gaza from Ramallah, led by the Prime Minister, Rami al-Hamdallah. The day will also witness the preparations for the hand over power in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian consensus government formed in June 2014.

On the same day, the first reconciliation meeting between Hamas and Fatah is expected to take place under the supervision of the Egyptian delegation.

October 3rd: The consensus government will hold its first cabinet meeting from Gaza. The consensus government is expected to form a number of ministerial committees to address the effects and consequences of the internal division as well as other civil, administrative and legal issues arising from the split.

The reconciliation news bring hope for a better future for the residents in this 365 square kilometers Strip that witnessed 10 years of siege, isolation and three wars. The Gaza Strip residents dream of a better future and an end to the devastating impact of the split that led to a deteriorated humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. In July, the U.N. warned that Gaza, which marked its tenth year since the beginning of the internal conflict between Hamas and Fatah factions that resulted in Hamas controlling the Strip in 2007, is going in a degenerative process, leading the area to become unlivable by 2020, pointing to the devastation of war and the effects of Israel's longstanding blockade.

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