Hamas weighs alternatives to Palestinian unity government
Hamas holds little faith in the newly established consensus government, accusing President Mahmoud Abbas of putting aside the needs of the people of Gaza.
As Cairo’s indirect negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians started on Sept. 23 toward a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian negotiations between Fatah and Hamas also kicked off on files related to the reconciliation reached in April.
The Palestinian dialogue comes amid tensions between Fatah and Hamas that escalated immediately after the end of the Israeli war on Gaza Aug. 26, due to disputes regarding the reconstruction of Gaza and the unpaid wages of former government employees.
Speaking at a celebration organized by the International Union of Muslim Scholars on Sept. 21, before the Cairo talks, Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' political bureau chief, said: “As soon as the Gaza war ended, the attack against Hamas started. This aims at stirring a hostile media campaign. Hamas has no time to waste on secondary battles. We have priorities, most important of which is the issue concerning the reconstruction of Gaza. We will not tolerate negligence in any issue and we will not accept the cancelation of any part stipulated in the reconciliation.”
When Meshaal spoke of a campaign against Hamas, he was referring to information leaked from a two-hour meeting on Sept. 17 at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, held among President Mahmoud Abbas and 30 prominent figures from the private sector from Gaza, and covered by local media outlets.
