Under an agreement hammered out in Gaza City, leaders from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Hamas have agreed in principle to form a unity government within the next five weeks. While the fine print of the proposed deal was still being worked out yesterday, the fact that the two sides are willing to put their past differences aside and work together is a step that will be welcomed by all who support the just Palestinian cause. However, let us not get carried away just yet. The rival factions had, in the past, agreed on several occasions to such a move though nothing came to fruition. On those occasions, attempts to form a mutually agreeable administration had collapsed. Indeed Fatah, the PLO’s main component, and Hamas, signed a reconciliation accord in Cairo in 2011 aimed at ending the political divide between Gaza and the Palestinian National Authority-ruled West Bank, but deadlines have come and gone without any progress in implementing the provisions of the accord.
The timing of this latest agreement comes at a critical juncture for Palestinians as US-brokered peace talks with Israel teeter on the brink of collapse. Hamas is opposed to any Palestinian negotiations with Israel. But this time, it is essential that the two factions come together to oppose Israel and its forces of illegal occupation. As long as there is division in the Palestinian family, Israel will thrive. Only together can Palestinians stand up to these criminal interlopers.
