LONDON: According to Hamas leaders, Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has stood against any bilateral meetings between the two factions because he wants to end his term in office on Jan. 9, 2009 without paying any price. On the eve of the reconciliation sessions in Cairo, Hamas leaders feared that Abbas may rally the Palestinian factions and the Arabs against them. This fear is partly justified. Abbas has rejected any bilateral meeting between Fatah and Hamas - despite the efforts made by Syrian, Egyptian and other ministers and officials. Yet the reasons behind that fear are merely an opinion. I heard the Palestinian president express a different opinion in recorded conversations I had with him in Amman and New York. The reconciliation meeting in Egypt represents a critical turning point. It will be held under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak, which means failure is forbidden. Hence, if the negotiations fail, the party responsible for failure will find itself in further confrontation with Egypt, not just with the other Palestinian factions. In Damascus, I had a long meeting with Hamas politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal. He spoke openly about Hamas stance on the president, the Palestinian Authority, Fatah, and the upcoming negotiations. Hamas, as he said, asked to have a look at the Egyptian paper to avoid any surprises in the Cairo meeting. For their part, the Egyptian officials established that they had drafted the paper on the basis of statements they heard from both factions representatives. After examining the Egyptian paper, Hamas leaders objected to some points. The first objection had to do with the title, The Palestinian National Project, which they described as very vague. The discussions are about steps toward reconciliation; the national project is a much more comprehensive task. Second, Hamas leaders thought that referring to 'appeasement' was unnecessary. The reconciliation concerns the Palestinians themselves, while appeasement involves the Israelis. By including appeasement in the reconciliation efforts, Israel is offered a free gift. The third objection was about the issue of negotiations, which involves Israel, while the Cairo meeting has a purely Palestinian character. Furthermore, Hamas refuses to authorize Abbas to negotiate with Israel. To the minds of Hamas leaders, President Abbas wants to get something from Israel to cover up the other concessions he made. They fear the right of return would be lost, the settlements would persist, and the territories exchange process would regress. According to Khaled Mashaal, less than 93 percent of territories would be recovered in the West Bank. Israel refuses to give up Jerusalem, which represents 10 percent of the West Bank. The area between the Green Line and the Separation Wall constitutes 7 percent, and the Israeli Security Zone constitutes 25 percent. Consequently, the Palestinians are left with only half or a little more of their territories. Abbas stated time and again - and confirmed it to me in private meetings - that he has not and will not renounce any territories. But Hamas fears a reconciliation that rests on the back of failed negotiations between Abbas and Ehud Olmert. Hamas perceives resistance as a legitimate right, hence it rejects of any tutelage. Asked about their stance in the upcoming Cairo meetings, Khaled Mashaal highlighted five points as follows: First, a national unity government, not a government of technocrats, should seek to lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian people. Second, the security apparatuses must be simultaneously rebuilt in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip without foreign interference, but with the assistance of Arab experts, if need be. Third, the PLO must be rebuilt, with a timeline for implementation. Fourth, reconciliation sessions must take place on the Palestinian scene in order to deal with the consequences of the rift. Fifth, only if the above points are achieved, Hamas will discuss the presidential and parliamentary elections at, as well as the elections mechanism, the guarantees, and other issues. For Hamas, Abbas will certainly pay a price. In my opinion, the intra-Palestinian rift is wide and deep. The mission of the Egyptian mediator is very difficult and needs full Arab support if it is to succeed. Jihad el-Khazenis a London-based writer. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from Dar Al-Hayat.
