The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process expressed support for Hamas’ expressed willingness to reconcile with the Fatah movement, head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), in a statement released on Wednesday.
Nickolay Mladenov said that he welcomed developments this week, after a Hamas delegation in Cairo stated it was ready to hold meetings with the Fatah movement, Hamas’ longtime rival.
“Reconciliation is critical to addressing the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza, preventing the continuing militant buildup and restoring hope for the future,” Mladenov said.
#UN Welcomes #Hamas' Willingness to Reconcile with #Fatah-ruled #PA. The #Netanyahu Divide & Conquer has to Stop. Work Together for #Peace pic.twitter.com/qAaqLoLAm0
— The Docterr (@docuterror) September 14, 2017
He urged parties to “seize the current positive momentum” in order to “immediately take up its responsibilities in Gaza.”
“Gaza is and must be an integral part of any future Palestinian state. Unity is an essential step towards the peaceful realization of the Palestinian national aspirations,” Mladenov added.
Hamas said in a statement following meetings in Cairo that it was ready to “immediately” sign an agreement with Fatah, and also reiterated claims it was ready to disband its administrative committee – formed earlier this year to the outrage of the PA, which accused Hamas of attempting to form a shadow government and run Gaza independent of the occupied West Bank.
Fatah official: 'There will be no meetings or dialogues' with Hamas if conditions are not met https://t.co/ZO1V8ObgBb pic.twitter.com/dCbbAeuRAe
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) September 14, 2017
Meanwhile, Majid al-Fitiani, an official in the Fatah movement, told China’s Xinhua news outlet on Wednesday that Hamas was advancing a policy of “maneuvering by calling for new meetings,” emphasizing that national reconciliation did not require new meetings “because we have held innumerable meetings with Hamas in the past ten years without actual implementation for what is agreed upon.”
Hamas “aims at inspiring the Palestinian people with efforts to achieve reconciliation, while on the ground the internal division is being consecrated,” he reportedly said.
(Maan, PC, Social Media)
