Palestinian reconciliation delayed because of Egypt’s unrest

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal Gaza – Mohammed Habib Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal is set to depart the Gaza Strip on Monday afternoon via the Rafah border crossing following a three-day visit to his homeland. The Hamas leader was in Gaza to attend the movement’s 25th anniversary festival and conduct reconciliation talks. Fatah, meanwhile, has announced it has begun preparations for its own anniversary festival to take place in Gaza City, celebrating the 48th year of the party’s creation.
Meshaal arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday, accompanied by his deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, politburo members Mohammed Nasr and Izzat al-Rishq and their families, where they took part in various activities including the Hamas anniversary festival held in Gaza City.
Meanwhile, Fatah’s own 48th anniversary will be entitled “State and Victory,” and is to be held in Gaza City to “commemorate the 48th anniversary of the modern Palestinian revolution.”
Fatah official Yahia Rabbah said the internal crisis in Egypt was the cause of the delay in reconciliation. Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi will call a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the reconciliation agreement, the formation of a provisional government and the organisation of a general election as quickly as possible.
Preparations and coordination with other national and Islamic forces are still underway.
Rabbah also reported that all Palestinian groups, including Hamas, agreed on Sunday evening at the Palestinian Legislative Council to hold a meeting of the supreme leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation [PLO] to discuss the implementation of the reconciliation agreement.
The factions agreed, according to the Fatah leader, to conduct continuous talks until Abbas calls the PLO meeting, set to be held in Cairo.
The agenda of the upcoming meeting, the Fatah official said, will include the activation of the social reconciliation committees, public liberties and rights and the activation of the Legislative Council.
Speaking on Sunday, Rabbah said: “We had a candid and beautiful discussion today.
“We need to safeguard the military and political victories to found reconciliation and national unity.”
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr asserted his country’s determination to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.
In a message posted on his official page on the social networking website Facebook, Amr said a meeting will be held in Cairo soon.
The Egyptian top diplomat added that the present time provides Israel with a historical opportunity to live in peace, not only with its neighbours, but with the entire Islamic world, with no exception.
The Foreign Minister criticised Israel for prioritising “expansionism” and “the arrogance of power”. He urged the implementation of the Arab decision to create a financial safety net for the Palestinian camp to face any “economic repercussions” of the successful Palestinian application to the United Nations for the status of non-member observer state.