Slow reconciliation frustrates Palestinians

Saleh Zeidan, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said that the reconciliation committees were still changing pace, due to the slowdown of Hamas and Fatah in implementing the agreement signed in Cairo. "This frustrates the Palestinian people and causes loss of confidence in both parties," said Zeidan. Zeidan said that the committee established in December 20 was supposed to achieve tangible results, but had failed to do so. Regarding negotiations with Israel, Saleh Zeidan called for taking firm action against the occupation and ceasing negotiations with Israel. Zeidan stressed the necessity for an actual review of the political process after the failure of the partial solutions and assigning it to the United Nations for establishing negotiations on international legitimacy decision basis. "Israel pretends its willingness to negotiations and stopping the settlements in front of the Arab world and the West in order to conceal its crimes committed towards the Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied bank", Zeidan added. As an alternative to negotiations, the Palestinian leader cited adopting a national strategy based on three main themes. The political theme representing directions for the Security Council, the United Nations and international institutions in order to recognise the Palestinian membership; the second which represents the popular resistance; the third theme about the national reconciliation, constituting a national reconciliation government, organising the work of the higher committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and starting the actual preparation of presidential and legislative elections and the National Council. Finally, he stressed: "The best answer to the intransigence of the Israeli occupation is to embody the national unity, drop all forms of division and implement what was agreed upon at the recent dialogue at Cairo."