Representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PA) demanded Nov. 1 to hold a proper ceremony to mark the transfer of control over the border crossings to the Gaza Strip, from Hamas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This ceremony was their opportunity to show that the PA is returning to Gaza with its head held high, while Hamas hands over the keys to the "real" sovereign.

In fact, those in the PA were sure that this would happen much earlier — that Hamas would come crawling on its knees years ago, begging to return Gaza to Fatah. That did not happen. Even now, 10 years after the military coup in the Gaza Strip, it is clear to the Palestinians that Hamas chose the reconciliation and compromise route only because it had no choice. Now Hamas is willing to do everything to ensure the success of the move.

“No matter what the price, we won’t look back,” said Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau, a short time after control of Gaza had formally transferred to Abbas. Haniyeh added a broad hint regarding the quid pro quo he anticipates. “We have done what we were supposed to do, and I now ask the PA to finish doing what they agreed to do,” he said. In other words, to end the economic sanctions on Hamas.

Now it emerges that the punitive steps adopted by Abbas toward Hamas in recent months bore fruit. Fatah officials claimed in a conversation with Al-Monitor that if Abbas had listened to them and had adopted this tough approach after the coup in 2007, the rulership over Gaza would have returned to him many years ago.