8 février 2010
1
08
/02
/février
/2010
00:31
National reconciliation imminent
Ahmad Yousef
Published today (updated) 07/02/2010 16:24
That Fatah leader Nabil Sha’ath took the initiative and visited Gaza after three years of ruptured relations with this beloved part of the homeland, in an attempt to break the ice between Gaza and Ramallah, is a praiseworthy step.
No doubt, the bloody events in 2007 created a discrepancy between compatriots who share the same national cause.
Thus, this visit to the Gaza Strip indicates a desire to meet with the brothers in Hamas and to maintain contact, in order to work out an exit strategy for the so-called "Impasse of signing the Egyptian document." The visit also aims at speeding up reconciliation in accordance with the document, which crowned general efforts, recurrent meetings in Cairo and follow up meetings in Ramallah and Damascus.
Nobody denies that Egypt made a move to rescue Palestinians from the situation. They exerted significant efforts by sponsoring dialogue between all Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah. No doubt that dialogue took time, and that there was a boring rigidity for the details.
This resulted from the lack of mutual trust, and of the defamation campaigns between Hamas and Fatah. If there was mutual trust, dialogue wouldn’t have taken long, but because the cut was so deep, we didn’t trust each other, and so each step was scrutinized and defined very strictly.
We hope this visit will be a good omen for our internal relations, and lay the groundwork for cooperation and noble competition between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We hope each party will not fear that the other’s victory will lead to a monopoly of sovereignty because everyone has realized that, under occupation, we have no choice but to work together, dedicating all we have to our homeland. Discrepancy and rifts will give our long-term enemy all opportunities needed to "swallow" the West Bank and Judaize Jerusalem, in addition to tightening the grip around us economically and politically.
Ismail Haniyeh’s government has always called for preparing the atmosphere for the signing of the Egyptian document to end rivalry before the Arab League Summit in Tripoli. We hope Arab efforts will focus on the means to protect Palestinian agreements and provide political coverage for any future Palestinian agreements relating to the coming elections. We also hope Arab countries will guarantee that any outcome of elections will be accepted and respected. We hope the Arab Summit in Tripoli will focus on bringing an end to the crippling siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and the segregation of its government, as well as beginning Gaza's reconstruction, as it was destroyed by Israel’s war.
Egypt will remain supportive of Palestine and its people, who will never forget Egypt’s sacrifices over history for the question of Palestine.
We appreciate all efforts by Palestinian, regional, and international sides to heal the Palestinian rift and reach a united Palestinian stand. We wish that all media outlets in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will help our homeland rather than being a "sword fighting against it."
Ahmad Yousef is undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gaza, and was once de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's political advisor.
No doubt, the bloody events in 2007 created a discrepancy between compatriots who share the same national cause.
Thus, this visit to the Gaza Strip indicates a desire to meet with the brothers in Hamas and to maintain contact, in order to work out an exit strategy for the so-called "Impasse of signing the Egyptian document." The visit also aims at speeding up reconciliation in accordance with the document, which crowned general efforts, recurrent meetings in Cairo and follow up meetings in Ramallah and Damascus.
Nobody denies that Egypt made a move to rescue Palestinians from the situation. They exerted significant efforts by sponsoring dialogue between all Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah. No doubt that dialogue took time, and that there was a boring rigidity for the details.
This resulted from the lack of mutual trust, and of the defamation campaigns between Hamas and Fatah. If there was mutual trust, dialogue wouldn’t have taken long, but because the cut was so deep, we didn’t trust each other, and so each step was scrutinized and defined very strictly.
We hope this visit will be a good omen for our internal relations, and lay the groundwork for cooperation and noble competition between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We hope each party will not fear that the other’s victory will lead to a monopoly of sovereignty because everyone has realized that, under occupation, we have no choice but to work together, dedicating all we have to our homeland. Discrepancy and rifts will give our long-term enemy all opportunities needed to "swallow" the West Bank and Judaize Jerusalem, in addition to tightening the grip around us economically and politically.
Ismail Haniyeh’s government has always called for preparing the atmosphere for the signing of the Egyptian document to end rivalry before the Arab League Summit in Tripoli. We hope Arab efforts will focus on the means to protect Palestinian agreements and provide political coverage for any future Palestinian agreements relating to the coming elections. We also hope Arab countries will guarantee that any outcome of elections will be accepted and respected. We hope the Arab Summit in Tripoli will focus on bringing an end to the crippling siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and the segregation of its government, as well as beginning Gaza's reconstruction, as it was destroyed by Israel’s war.
Egypt will remain supportive of Palestine and its people, who will never forget Egypt’s sacrifices over history for the question of Palestine.
We appreciate all efforts by Palestinian, regional, and international sides to heal the Palestinian rift and reach a united Palestinian stand. We wish that all media outlets in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will help our homeland rather than being a "sword fighting against it."
Ahmad Yousef is undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gaza, and was once de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's political advisor.
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