First positive step

June 10, 2008

First positive step

This weekend's talks between Fatah and Hamas in the Senegalese capital Dakar could be seen as the first concrete step towards Palestinian reconciliation because both sides are saying the meeting had restored "an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect" between them. It followed an offer by Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas for unconditonal talks with Hamas out of concern for the "unity of the Palestinian people and their homeland." It was a surprise since Abbas had refused to negotiate with Hamas unless the movement gave up control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
A senior Abbas aide said subsequently that Abbas was not shifting from his position.
In any event, the Dakar talks, held under the mediation of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, seems to be the beginning of a dialogue.
It has to be seen against the backdrop of an Arab tour undertaken by Abbas with the declared objective of informing Arab leaders of the latest developments in the Palestinian scene, including the Gaza crisis and the status of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Abbas, according to his aides, is seeking Arab support for his latest initiative to end the Fatah-Hamas power struggle.
Obviously, Israel, which is seeking to divide Palestinian ranks, is watching closely from the sidelines the progress in Fatah-Hamas talks. Israeli media is emphasising that the Dakar talks made no breakthrough while the Senegalese mediators said in a statement that representatives of both groups were "direct and fraternal" in the first of seven planned rounds of talks in the Senegalese capital.
Others are ready to help the Palestinian factions. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is said to be ready to intervene at any point and use his influence with Hamas, which has said it is prepared to send representatives to Cairo as soon as they received an invitation from the Egyptians.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa has expressed willingness to host the Fatah-Hamas talks.
Wherever held, success of any Fatah-Hamas dialogue depends on restoring confidence in each other starting with goodwill gestures, including the release of hundreds of Hamas supporters who are being held in PNA jails in the West Bank and an end to what further arrests.
However, it will not be easy for Abbas to do that since Israel is pressuring him against reconciling with Hamas and freeing Hamas activists whom it accuses of waging armed resistance.
One key goodwill gestures came when Abbas's office instructed the PNA-controlled media to stop attacks on Hamas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh ordered the Hamas-run media to stop attacks on Fatah.
We in the Arab World are hopeful that the Palestinian factions would move quickly to settle their differences so that the focus is not shifted from the common struggle for liberation. The only beneficiary from continued internal Palestinian strife is Israel.