Palestinian reconciliation efforts have stalled time and again in the last five years, dashing the hopes of its advocates. Nonetheless, I venture to say that the odds for reconciliation are now much better, following the meetings between President Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Mashaal in the final two months of last year, and the second month of this year. I went to Cairo to check up on Egypt and its people. I was lucky to find there the senior leaders from the Palestinian factions, including Abu Mazen, Abu al-Walid and brother Ramadan Shallah (Abu Abdullah). I heard from them many details, but I will settle for discussing here today what I heard from brother Khaled Mashaal, having not have seen him for over a year because of the incidents in Syria. He said that the problem is not Abu Mazen or any particular Palestine side, but that it is Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist government. He also said that he discussed with the Palestinian President the issues involved in the reconciliation and then the government. The only option was Abu Mazen as Prime Minister, because Hamas has reservations on brother Saladm Fayyad, while other names were not all too convincing. Abu al-Walid acknowledged that Abu Mazen was not a popular choice for the supporters of Hamas, because of past differences and trust in the reconciliation among the people who prefer an independent prime minister. The problem is that without a national consensus government, there will be no elections, and the main contested issue with regard to the government is the identity of the prime minister. Nevertheless, Hamas's political bureau has approved Abu Mazen as prime minister, without hesitation, despite popular discontent. The head of the political bureau believes that Abu Mazen wants that all election arrangements and schedules be in place in a satisfying manner before he forms his cabinet and declares the names of the ministers. He is aware that the good faith between the leaders is not reflected in kind among the Palestinian people, because many outstanding issues remain unresolved – issues such as the detainees, the freedom of action, the security measures, the passports, the dismissed employees and many other issues. Abu al-Walid admits that since the 2005 agreement in Cairo and until 2011, there was no progress on the ground. He requested to meet with Abu Mazen amid the political stalemate with Israel and the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. The first meeting thus took place between the two men on 24/11/2011, amid a positive climate that is conducive to making breakthroughs. Abu al-Walid spoke about the Committee for the Activation of the PLO, or the leadership framework committee seeking to develop the PLO. This was stated in the Cairo Agreement in 2005 but no progress was made afterwards, until the committee's meeting on 22/12/2011, a meeting seen by Abu al-Walid as the third birth of the PLO after 1964 and 1969. The head of Hamas's political bureau spoke about a transitional period until the establishment of a new executive committee and a new National Assembly. However, he noted that reconciliation efforts are coming under American and Israeli pressures. The Americans threatened to cut off aid, while the Israelis stopped transferring tax funds to the Palestinian Authority. There is also the issue of security cooperation which is yet to be resolved. At my last meeting with Abu al-Walid in Damascus, I had heard from him that the two Palestinian sides agreed to all points except security partnership. I told him back then that the government of Israel, which I consider fascistic and criminal, would exploit any security cooperation to destroy all the economic achievements of the government of Salam Fayyad in the West Bank, and would not hesitate to kill any security officers from Hamas that it can reach. Abu al-Walid said that he accepts for Hamas to take part in planning the security issue, without any participation on the ground that would give Israel the pretext to commit new crimes. As I was talking to Abu al-Walid, brother Ismail Haniyeh was visiting Al-Azhar, where the Prime Minister of Hamas was carried on the shoulders amid chants calling for the liberation of Jerusalem, including one that said: “O Zahhar, O Haniyeh, Never Drop al-Bunduqiyeh [Ar. Rifle]”. I noticed also that the march in Al-Azhar included Muslim and Christian clerics and non-Egyptian Arabs, all calling for the liberation of Jerusalem. To this I say, soon God willing. [email protected]
