Fatah and Hamas to meet in Cairo ahead of key Arab summit

SENIOR FIGURES from a dozen Palestinian factions are set to meet today in Cairo to start talks following two days of preparatory discussions between Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah.

The rivals established five working groups and sought to create a conducive atmosphere for successful talks by agreeing to release political prisoners.

While Fatah released a number of the 600 Hamas detainees it holds, Hamas has yet to reciprocate. The prisoner issue will be a component of the talks.

The factions have had to make concessions before entering the Egyptian-brokered talks. Fatah, which controls the West Bank, dropped its demand that before talks could begin Hamas must relinquish its control of Gaza, seized after a bout of fighting with Fatah forces in June 2007.

Hamas has tacitly agreed to an extension of the presidential term of Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas, which ended on January 9th, until fresh elections for president and parliament are held. Since Mr Abbas was elected in 2005 and the legislature in 2006, Hamas had demanded separate presidential and parliamentary balloting.

Hamas refused to participate in the talks last November after Fatah arrested 70 of its West Bank members. Similar Fatah detentions in recent days and accusations levelled that Fatah agents in Gaza spied for Israel during its recent offensive threatened to derail talks a second time. But Hamas was convinced to participate by Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh who had the backing of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who gives sanctuary to Hamas’s exiled leadership. Mr Saleh expressed the desire to see the Palestinians reconcile ahead of next month’s Arab summit in Qatar.

Prospects are better now than last year. Unity could strengthen Hamas and Fatah, allowing Hamas to more easily reach a truce with Israel and commence reconstruction of Gaza.

Fatah is eager to boost its credibility ahead of elections by ending the rift which the vast majority of Palestinians abhor.

Once unity is achieved donors are more likely to deliver on funding pledges for the reconstruction of Gaza, which West Bank premier Salam Fayyad announced could cost $2.8 billion (€2.2 billion).

Donors are set to meet on March 2nd in Egypt.

Mr Abbas has issued a strong appeal to the West not to boycott a unity government which he has said is “the only hope for Palestinians”. The unity government, formed in 2007 under Saudi aus- pices, collapsed due to western opposition. The US and Europe seem to have changed tack and are now calling for a unity cabinet.