P.A. Unity Gov't. Disintegrating, Again
JERUSALEM, Israel -- The reconciliation agreement signed last April between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority's Fatah faction, ostensibly to pave the way for a P.A. unity government, is eroding.
It's not the first time the two rival Palestinian factions have failed to resolve their differences despite shared perspectives on many issues regarding Israel.
In June 2007, a three-month unity government based on the Saudi-mediated Mecca Accords ended when Hamas ousted P.A. security forces from the Gaza Strip and took control of the coastal enclave.
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said the much-touted agreement was, in fact, a "temporary arrangement
only meant to last six months," Arutz Sheva quoted the senior official, who hinted at "alternative solutions," while admitting reconciliation was "a failure."
Among the divisive issues between the two factions were last month's public executions by Hamas gunmen in Gaza City of at least 20 men accused of collaborating with Israel, a practice that has gone unchecked for years.
Another thorny issue was the planned overthrow of the P.A. government and Abbas himself. Israel exposed the plot last month, providing pictures of Hamas weapons caches in Judea and Samaria, prompting P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to say a "real danger" to Palestinian unity had been exposed.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah admitted that "no mechanisms" were in place to implement April's reconciliation agreement, the Palestinian Authority's semi-official Ma'an news agency reported.
Hamdallah made the remarks by videoconferencing Thursday to a gathering in Gaza City sponsored by the Gaza-based Press House Foundation.
The P.A. prime minister reportedly said each faction must find solutions to "unresolved problems," including the backlog of unpaid government workers' salaries and resolution of security issues between Hamas and Palestinian Authority security forces.
Yet another sticking point Hamdallah mentioned is the P.A.'s role in decisions about construction material to repair structures damaged by Israeli airstrikes during the 50-day conflict, to be carried out under strict U.N. supervision to ensure the material would not be used to rebuild the terror infrastructure. Hamas rejected P.A. supervision of reconstruction projects in Gaza, calling it divisive.
