(VOVWORLD) - Leaders of the Hamas and Fatah movements in Palestine last Thursday reached a reconciliation agreement in Cairo, Egypt, ending a decade of disagreement and division. The historic agreement creates hope for a united Palestine prepared to reopen peace negotiations with Israel.
 Fatah's representative Azam al-Ahmad (R) and Hamas's representative Saleh al-Aruri (L) at the signing of the reconciliation agreement in Cairo on Oct, 12, 2017 (photo: AFP/VNA)
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Hamas will hand over control of the Rafah border crossing and all administrative agencies in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority on November 1st and December 2nd respectively. Fatah will send 3,000 policemen to the Gaza Strip, although Hamas still has the strongest Palestinian militia – about 25,000 well-armed fighters. The two movements will discuss presidential and parliamentary election dates and the reform of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which will remain in charge of negotiations with Israel.
The last deal
The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation is receiving scant attention. The world is more focused on the fight against ISIS, the Syria conflict, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Gulf crisis than on the Palestinian issue. Hamas’s violent clashes with Israel have halted the Middle East peace process, and pressure from other countries has eroded support for Hamas.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has announced plans to visit the Gaza Strip next month. It will be his first visit to the Hamas-controlled area in a decade, a step to remove sanctions imposed on the region.
Palestine’s internal settlement will help Egypt guarantee its security, strengthen its political status in the region, and ease tensions with Israel.
Feasibility
Analysts say this agreement has a better chance for success than previous agreements. The reasons are Hamas’s extreme isolation, economic exhaustion, and destroyed infrastructure. About 2 million people in Gaza are living with constant power shortages and high unemployment. The agreement will help lift curfews and resolve people’s difficulties.
Palestinian political commentator Mustafa Ibraham warns that until there is agreement on an election date and a common political agenda, Palestinians should be cautious. The border crossing between Gaza and Israel will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority on November 1. Control of border crossings with Egypt will need more time to negotiate.
Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam brigade with about 25,000 members will be an obstacle to agreement implementation. High-ranking Hamas officials say it’s impossible to disperse the brigade. Abbas says the Palestinian President said the government should take control of it. The future of tens of thousands of government employees recruited by Hamas since 2007 will be discussed in February, 2018.
Unlike the Palestinian liberation movement led by Abbas, Hamas has never recognized Israel and will not abandon its armed policy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government will not accept any reconciliation agreement unless Hamas disarms and recognize Israel. The US has sought a way to resume the Israel-Palestine peace process with a condition that the Palestinian government must acknowledge Israel.