RAMALLAH, West Bank — It seems that the ceremonious pictures of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have not convinced the people, who are accustomed to seeing such imagery every time a similar announcement is made.

Despite the positive atmosphere among the leadership, it seems that the Palestinian street is not optimistic that the reconciliation will happen or that it will last if it does see the light.

Al-Monitor spoke at random to roughly 30 Palestinians in Ramallah about what they thought of the agreement. Most said that the reconciliation will not be achieved, and if it is, it will not last long. The conversations echoed similar sentiments among Palestinians in Gaza.

Asked by Al-Monitor whether he expects the reconciliation to succeed, Mahmoud Mubarak, a restaurant owner in Ramallah, said that while he wishes the Palestinian people would unite against the occupation, “We are not pinning high hopes on the two sides because two roosters cannot live in the same coop, and the two sides are fighting over power and positions.”