On again, off again: the prospects for ending inter-Palestinian divisions appear hostage to the fate of Israel's stranglehold on Gaza, writes Saleh Al-Naami Ataf Ibrahim could not wait for her brother Majed to come home, so she called him to relay the news she just heard from Salah Al-Bardawil, the leading member in Hamas. Al-Bardawil had just told a radio station that Egypt and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have accepted Hamas's suggestions of how to handle points of difference in the Egyptian plan for Palestinian reconciliation. The breakthrough news was delivered by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa during his recent visit to Gaza. Ataf is not interested in reconciliation for political reasons but rather because it means that the Rafah crossing will open and she and her brother will be able to travel to perform omra (the minor pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian authorities had only been allowing students, the sick and those with foreign residence to cross the border. But Ataf's hopes were soon dashed when both Fatah and Cairo declared that there have been no developments on that track, saying that Hamas must first sign the proposal before they consider the group's reservations. Al-Ahram Weekly asked Al-Bardawil about the mixed signals, and he explained that Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh suggested ideas to Moussa directly regarding the Egyptian proposal, which would include Palestinian consensus on Hamas's reservations to be included in a future document. Haniyeh proposed a dialogue among the Palestinian factions, especially Fatah and Hamas, about the reservations. He also suggested the formation of a joint committee composed of representatives of the factions to discuss outstanding issues of contention in the Egyptian proposal. Al-Bardawil stated that one issue is how to form a central electoral committee: while Hamas wants it to be formed by consensus, Fatah insists that it be formed in consultation with the factions. Al-Bardawil continued that Haniyeh also wanted to see agreement on specific mechanisms to implement the Egyptian proposal under the auspices of the Arab League and with Cairo's blessing. He told the Weekly that he expects a Fatah delegation to arrive in Gaza to discuss the prime minister's ideas, and that he had not heard that Cairo or Fatah had in fact turned down Haniyeh's ideas as relayed to Moussa. The Hamas leader was surprised by statements by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit to the effect that no revisions would be made to the Egyptian proposal. Al-Bardawil warned that continuing to dismiss his group's "objective" reservations is not the appropriate posture to take in order to end internal divisions. He stated that Haniyeh's initiative and the steps taken by Hamas prove their willingness to end discord and help create an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation efforts. Jamal Mohaysen, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, denied that his group agreed to Haniyeh's suggestions and blamed Hamas for the current standstill on the path to reconciliation, saying that the ball is in Hamas's court. "Fatah has not changed its position regarding the Egyptian plan," Mohaysen asserted. "Hamas is the one that needs to adjust its attitude and sign the proposal as it stands. Once it does that, its reservations and those made by other factions will be taken into consideration during implementation. Hamas's ideas can never be part of the Egyptian plan; the proposal cannot be revised to appease Hamas. They believe that their political credit has increased after what happened to the Freedom Flotilla and that everyone must accept their diktat. This is unacceptable." Meanwhile, Hamas showed sensitivity to accusations by some parties that it is seeking to join the Gaza Strip to Egypt by demanding that the blockade be lifted. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, member of Hamas's politburo, vehemently denied these claims as baseless. "The Palestinians want to maintain their political independence and in no way want to become an appendage to Egypt or any other Arab country," Al-Zahhar told the Weekly. "All we want is to rid Gaza of its economic dependence on Israel by channelling trade between Gaza and the Arab world through the Egyptian border crossings only." Al-Zahhar noted that the sole dispute between Hamas and some Arab states, including Egypt, was on their position regarding the domestic Palestinian scene and their support of Fatah. Al-Zahhar blamed Israel for the blockade on Gaza, aided by the US, European "hypocrisy" and Arab silence. He further criticised Arab states for refusing to recognise the results of the 2006 parliamentary elections, while Hamas leaders were chosen in elections more free and fair than any elections held in the Arab world. "Unfortunately, the conduct of Arab states is based on what the US wants and not what benefits the Arab nation, because they do not want to upset Washington by staying in contact with Hamas." Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that all goods used for civilian purposes will be allowed to enter Gaza with the exception of materials that could be used for "military purposes", such as cement, steel, and metal pipes. Hamed Jad, a Palestinian economics expert, noted that Israel's decision only allows consumer products through, but no goods that would revive the Palestinian economy and alleviate poverty and unemployment. Jad told the Weekly that Israel will not allow construction or raw materials needed in industry, or machines or goods needed in agriculture, which means the development process will not restart anytime soon. He pointed out that the construction sector, which employed 30,000 workers before the blockade, would not benefit from Israel's decision. Jad also asserted that the number one beneficiary from easing the blockade is the Israeli economy, because Israeli goods will enter Gaza while Palestinian goods would not be exported. Israel will attempt to delude the world, stated Jad, by saying that the prohibited raw material could be used to make weapons. "What is the connection between cement or industrial machinery and arms capabilities?" he questioned, insisting that Israel wants to ensure that the Palestinian economy in Gaza does not recover. Jad further added that Israel's partial easing of the blockade does not include the financial blockade, while Tel Aviv continues to block bank and money transfers to Gaza. He mocked the fact that Israel is allowing ketchup through, which no one cares about inside Gaza, while blocking cement, which is a vital material for Palestinians to rebuild what Israel has destroyed. "Israel is trying to deceive the world and improve its image with this talk of easing the blockade," Gamal Al-Khodari, chairman of the Popular Committee for Confronting the Siege, told the Weekly. Al-Khodari believes that in order to end the siege, four steps must be taken: the complete opening of all border crossings; the unconditional passage of all goods, including building materials; creating a safe corridor for the passage of people between the West Bank and Gaza; opening a corridor by sea between Gaza and the world under international supervision. Without these steps, he insisted the "Intifada of ships" would continue. In response, the Israeli newspaper Maariv mentioned that Israel's navy and intelligence agencies are on high alert to confront the fleets of international solidarity vessels that intend to approach Gaza by sea to break the blockade. The paper added Israel has also intensified contacts through diplomatic channels to undermine the Lebanese initiative to end the siege. Tel Aviv called on the Vatican to prevent a number of nuns from participating in these fleets, and asked Cairo to prevent any vessel from passing through the Suez Canal. Maariv quoted Israeli security sources as saying that handling Lebanese solidarity boats would be easier than others, because they are sailing from "enemy states" and would be dealt with firmly and harshly. At the same time, Israel will launch a campaign to sabotage the image of the sea caravans coming from Lebanon, claiming the passengers onboard are terrorists. Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported Sunday that Israel is working on the story it will use when attacking the solidarity ships coming from Lebanon. The newspaper said that Israeli authorities have highlighted statements by Palestinian businessman Yasser Qashlaq, who is funding the Lebanese solidarity boats, to Lebanon's Al-Manar TV in which he attacked Israel and called for the return of the Jews to Europe. The newspaper added that by focussing on these statements, Israel wants to frame Qashlaq and other participants as fanatics and terrorists, not peace activists. To be sure, the blockade is closely linked to Palestinian reconciliation. Hamas's leadership believes that the continuation of aid fleets will eventually end the blockade, which encourages the group to dig in its heels on the national dialogue front. Meanwhile, Fatah believes the complete opposite.
