A new round of reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas is due to take place in Cairo next week, but with little hope of a breakthrough, writes Amira Howeidy Egyptian authorities appear approving of Hamas these days. The Rafah border crossing -- Gaza's only gateway to the outside world that is not controlled by Israel -- was opened from Saturday to Tuesday allowing stranded people on both sides to cross. Judging by the pattern of opening the strategic border, from the Egyptian side, the decision to allow life into besieged Gaza, and outside of it, seems to be associated -- amongst many considerations -- with Cairo's changing relationship with Hamas. Now that the border has been open for four continuous days, allowing over 1,145 people out of Gaza in addition to aid convoys in, according to a Hamas spokesman, the timing cannot be divorced from the 26 April Hamas-Fatah talks due in Cairo. Not only has Egypt opened the border; it has a proposal on the table for the two factions. After failing to achieve reconciliation in two previous faction meetings in Cairo in March and early April, the Egyptians are now proposing that a joint committee consisting of a number of Palestinian faction representatives temporarily "run" Gaza, under the umbrella of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, until elections are held and a new Palestinian government is formed. A six-member Hamas delegation from Gaza arrived in Egypt Monday and then headed to Damascus to meet with the group's leadership there to discuss the Egyptian proposal. According to Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas is planning to convey its observations and questions to both Fatah and Cairo during the 26 April meeting. But while the Egyptian proposal seems to be the main focus of next week's meeting, Hamas spokesmen want to shift the emphasis to "numerous" unresolved, complicated and pressing issues that stand in the way of reconciliation and, consequently, the formation of a national unity government. In a telephone interview with Al-Ahram Weekly from Damascus, Hamas politburo member Mohamed Nasr said that while Hamas has studied the Egyptian proposal thoroughly "and will duly respond to it", there still remains a list of crucial issues that have not been resolved in previous faction talks in Cairo, "and without them Hamas can not perceive the formation of a national unity government." The issues are: the new government's platform; the transitional phase between now and presidential and legislative elections in January 2010; the restructuring of the security apparatuses and the nature of their affiliations and the elections law, amongst other matters. Said Nasr: "Without addressing these topics and resolving them, we'll end up with an agreement that will be no different from the previous ones." But the stumbling block thus far, according to Nasr, is Fatah itself which is setting preconditions for reconciliation, namely meeting the conditions laid down by the International Quartet (the US, UN, EU and Russia) which are: renouncing terrorism, recognising Israel and accepting the previous agreements the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) signed with Israel. "National reconciliation cannot hinge upon the conditions of the Quartet," said Nasr. "This effectively means we are placing a veto on reconciliation." For his part, Israel's new Likud prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, refuses to abide by the agreements signed between Israel and the PLO, insisting instead that he will "respect" them. But how Fatah and Hamas will resume talks in Cairo next week to reach an understanding despite mounting tensions remains a mystery. On Sunday, a member of the Palestinian security forces affiliated to Abbas shot and lightly wounded Hamas legislator Sheikh Hamed Bitawi in the West Bank. The Fatah- linked Preventive Security Service (PSS) said its officer fired a warning shot after being provoked. Bitawi, a prominent cleric, said he and one of his sons were exiting a mosque when they were accosted by the officer. He said the man cursed Hamas, a scuffle ensued and the officer fired towards his legs. Responding to the incident, some 2,500 Hamas supporters in Gaza took to the streets in protest. On Monday, Abbas's PSS apparatus arrested Palestinian academic Abdel-Sattar Qassem, professor of political science at An- Najah National University in Nablus, a well- known secular critic of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah. The PSS also arrested three members of Islamic Jihad in Jenin on the same day. Meanwhile, Palestinian and international rights groups accused gunmen linked to Hamas's security forces of attacking dozens of supporters of Abbas's Fatah movement in recent months.
