Hamadeh Faraneh, member of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), caused a firestorm Nov. 30 by revealing that Egypt has been working with the Palestinian president on advancing a four-point road map that includes internal unity within Fatah, reconciliation with Hamas, reconstruction of the Palestine Liberation Organization and general elections.

Faraneh, a former Jordanian member of parliament and who is also a member of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) and is privy to internal Palestinian politics, spoke to Al-Monitor in his home in Amman about the Egyptian initiative and the reaction of various Palestinian groups to it. Reaction was mixed to an article seen as attempting to encourage the Palestinian leadership to face reality. “No one has denied the details of the contents [of the Ad-Dustour article Faraneh wrote Nov. 30],” he said.

“Some have called me saying it is true, but that it shouldn’t have been published,” Faraneh told Al-Monitor. “Egyptian officials were unhappy, although they were appreciative of the [comprehensive nature of the article]. What I did is put everyone to face their own reality in a strong way.”

The Palestinian activist also said that executing the agreement on reopening the Rafah crossing is more dependent on the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah proceeding with the Egyptian road map than on Hamas. “Egyptians will only reopen the Rafah crossing once the [four-point] road map is applied in the order that they have suggested. The problem in Hamas is that there are two parties: one wanting to share power, while the other wants to monopolize it.”