The repercussions of the Palestinian division have been plaguing the Palestinian scene since 2007. All previous agreements have failed to bridge the gap between the two conflicting parties, Fatah and Hamas. The first agreement was reached in Mecca in February 2007, and then in Yemen in August 2007, followed by the Cairo agreement in December 2011, the Doha agreement in February 2012 and finally the Beach Refugee Camp agreement in April 2014.

All of these agreements have failed to put an end to this division, despite being officially sponsored by Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar. Fatah and Hamas are both clinging to their positions and refuse to make the required concessions in order to reach common ground.

Fatah insists that Hamas should relinquish some of its power in the Gaza Strip, which it has controlled since mid-2007, and hand over the Rafah crossing to the Palestinian presidency. Meanwhile, Hamas insists that Fatah should recognize the events that have occurred since 2007, including the salary crisis for government employees in Gaza.

On Feb. 7-8, Qatar’s capital Doha, through its Foreign Ministry, was able to schedule meetings between Fatah and Hamas to discuss the mechanisms of implementing the reconciliation and address the obstacles that have prevented its achievement in the past. During the meetings, both parties discussed the mechanisms and steps to implement reconciliation within an agreed-upon timetable. The talks were held in an atmosphere of media secrecy in order to avoid any media leaks.