It was an awkward moment for the political leaderships in Cairo and Doha. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had given the impression that he was in favour of the resolution adopted in the last Arab Summit in Doha calling for a mini-summit in Cairo in order to enhance the prospects of Palestinian reconciliation. According to informed sources, even in the bilateral meetings that took place on the sidelines of the Doha Summit, Abbas expressed no reservations on the resolution. Yet the moment he left Doha, Fatah leaders and spokespersons for the Palestinian Authority began to hint that a mini-summit would not be useful. Clear agreements have already been reached with Hamas and now it is merely a question of putting them into effect, they said. Soon the Fatah sources and persons close to Abbas became more direct in their criticisms, saying the idea was pointless. Abdallah Abdallah, chairman of the political committee in the Legislative Assembly, and a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, said that Abbas would not attend the mini-summit because it is “superfluous and unnecessary. The Arabs should pressure Hamas into agreeing to put into effect the agreements that have already been concluded. As for us [Fatah], we will not allow the reopening of issues that have been agreed upon.” Abdallah charged that Qatar and the Morsi administration in Egypt were manoeuvring to improve the conditions for Hamas under the agreement. He added that Hamas's disparagements of Abbas further diminished Fatah's enthusiasm for the mini-summit. Abbas's political adviser, Nemer Hammad, couched Fatah's rejection of the idea of a mini-summit in different terms: it would “breach the unity of the political representation of the Palestinian people”. He explained that Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal could not attend as a party of equal status to President Abbas, who is chief representative of the Palestinian people. “There is a single frame of reference for our people and they have paid a heavy price to obtain it. This is why there has to be a single person to represent the Palestinian people in any official conference, whether an Arab summit or other regional or international conference, and whether at a ministerial or other level.” Hammad also argued that a mini-summit would be of little importance. National reconciliation “has come a long way by means of dialogue between the national Palestinian factions brokered by our brothers in Egypt. Its mechanisms and executive timeframes are clear and specific. They need to be put into effect. Any effort on the part of brothers or friends must seek to promote the implementation of what has already been agreed upon in the Cairo and Doha agreements to end the division and realise national unity.” Hamas dismissed the justifications cited by Fatah leaders for rejecting the mini-summit. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri held that the real reason why Abbas refused to attend the mini-summit was the US-Israeli veto. Abu Zahri claimed that President Obama told Abbas that the US could not accept Palestinian reconciliation becoming a reality on the ground because both the US and Israel regard Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation. “Abbas squandered a golden opportunity to prove his patriotism and to demonstrate that he represents the Palestinian people when he chose to remain silent during the press conference that was held with Obama during the latter's recent visit to Ramallah in which Obama attacked Hamas as a terrorist organisation. We had expected that Abbas would at least have interrupted in order to correct Obama's impressions and remind him that the party that is practicing terrorism against the Palestinian people is Israel, to which [Obama] came in order to pledge more military support.” According to Hamas politburo member Khalil Al-Haya, Abbas rejected the mini-summit because deep down he and Fatah “do not believe in the principle of political partnership and therefore refuse to support any action that puts this principle into effect, while we [Hamas] welcome all Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and regional steps and efforts to realise Palestinian national reconciliation”. Hamas, he said, had shown great flexibility on all reconciliation issues in the hope of ending the division and realising national partnership, “but they [Abbas and Fatah] don't believe in political partnership”. He underlined that the realisation of national reconciliation required “real political will and the practical implementation of what has been agreed upon in reconciliation meetings.” Acting on Arab Summit resolutions, Cairo has been actively exploring ways to bridge the positions of Hamas and Fatah. Informed Palestinian sources have mentioned that representatives of the factions would be heading to Cairo soon in order to hold further reconciliation talks and that officials in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS) have been in touch with representatives of the Palestinian factions to encourage them to attend. Curiously, although Fatah opposes the idea of a mini-summit in Cairo, it is willing to attending meetings with GIS representatives with the purpose of reducing the gap in the factions' positions on disputed issues. In fact, Nabil Shaath, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, recently arrived in Cairo to meet with senior GIS officials. Simultaneously, Meshaal and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Hamas Gaza government met with GIS Director Raafat Shahada in Cairo, although their primary purpose in visiting the Egyptian capital was to attend the Hamas General Shura Council meetings that convened in order to elect the new head and members of their politburo. In their meeting with Shahada, Haniyeh and Meshaal discussed a number of issues related to bridging the gaps between the Hamas and Fatah positions and furthering the cause of Palestinian national reconciliation. In spite of Egyptian efforts, it appears that the distance between the two sides on a gamut of matters related to forming a national reconciliation government, reforming the Palestine Liberation Organisation and restructuring Palestinian security agencies is still great. Informed Palestinian sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that as earnest and intense as the Arab efforts have been to bridge the conflicting views of Fatah and Hamas, there is still no sign of a possibility that either side will back down on its previous stances with respect to the issues under dispute. According to these sources, President Abbas continues to insist that legislative and presidential elections be held within three months of forming a national reconciliation government, regardless of whether or not there has been progress in resolving other outstanding differences. Hamas, meanwhile, continues to refuse to agree to hold legislative and presidential elections before all disputed issues are resolved and the general climate in the West Bank is conducive to the elections. Hamas holds that a “healthy climate” in the West Bank entails bringing a halt to political detentions and ensuring the freedom of Hamas's organisations, leaders and members to operate there. In addition, Hamas insists that Abbas must furnish international guarantees that would compel Israel not to take actions that would hamper Hamas's ability to compete electorally in the West Bank. In a related development, as the Weekly had expected, the Hamas Shura Council (which convened in Cairo this week), re-elected Meshaal as politburo chief. Although Meshaal had previously announced he would not run for another term, he ceded to appeals from Palestinian, Arab and Islamic parties to change his mind. Even before the council convened, there had been a general sense in Hamas circles that it was important for Meshaal to continue his leadership. For one, there was no eligible alternative to him at present. At the same time, it was felt symbolically necessary to keep a Hamas president abroad, since the vast majority of the Palestinian people are refugees living outside Palestine. While in Cairo, Meshaal and Haniyeh asked Egyptian leaders to exert pressure on Israel to compel it to resume implementation of the understandings that had been reached indirectly between Hamas and Israel. Specifically, Hamas wants Israel to reverse its decision restricting the fishing grounds of Palestinian fishermen and to halt “targeting” Palestinian farmers who own fields along the Gaza side of the border with Israel. As for progress in the drive to promote a Palestinian reconciliation, that remains zero.
