Palestinian joy as rivals Fatah and Hamas sign reconciliation pact

[Scurrilous]

Mahmoud Abbas says deal turns 'black page of division' after signing deal with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Egypt

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"Rival Palestinian groups have hailed the signing of a reconciliation agreement that could change the parameters of the search for Middle East peace, amid trenchant opposition from Israel.

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the head of Fatah, and Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Islamist movement Hamas, met for the first time in five years at a ceremony in Cairo on Wednesday, where Egypt's transitional government pulled off a striking coup by brokering the deal.

Abbas, Yasser Arafat's successor as leader of the PLO, said they had turned forever the "black page of divisions". Meshaal, also seeking to strike a historically resonant note, declared that Hamas's bitter rift with Fatah was "behind us".

The potential of the agreement was underlined by the presence of representatives from the UN, the EU and the Arab League – all now digesting the diplomatic implications for the region. "We are certain of success so long as we are united," Abbas said. "Reconciliation clears the way not only to putting the Palestinian house in order but also to a just peace."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/palestine-joy-fatah-hamas-reconciliation-pact

[oberliner]

1. "Wariness and skepticism precluded any mass outpouring of joy"

But when the leaders of the rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a historic, if preliminary, agreement in Cairo on Wednesday to end a four-year schism and unify the two Palestinian territories, wariness and skepticism precluded any mass outpouring of joy.

At the Brazil coffee shop in Ramallah near its central Manara Square, men carried on playing cards and chatting, largely oblivious to the speeches of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president and Fatah chief, and Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas, based in Damascus, Syria, as they were being broadcast for the first time. The sound was muted on the flat screen television fixed to the coffee shop wall.

Ghazi Awwad, a patron of the coffee shop, sat with his back to the television, smoking a water pipe.

“Nobody is watching,” he said, “because judging by our experience with previous agreements, we do not expect this one to last.”

Earlier, a small knot of women had gathered in the square to cheer the signing of the deal, but most people in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s administrative capital in the West Bank, went about their business or stayed home.

[azurnoir]

2. Celebrations in Ramallah and Jenin after unity deal

Palestinians launched balloons Wednesday in the West Bank, celebrating the national unity agreement.

Many distributed sweets to people in the road and crowds congratulated one another.

People held Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in support of unity.

Mu’taz Qar’oush, a reveler holding flags and celebrating, said: "The internal split put an end to democracy and interrupted the legislature." He added that the occupation supported this split.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=384809

[Scurrilous]

3. Haaretz Editorial: Palestinian unity is an opportunity, not a threat

It would be correct for Israel to recognize the Palestinian unity government in order to conduct a dialogue and neighborly relations with the Palestinian state in the future.

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"The word “reconciliation” is so distant from the Middle Eastern reality that its use is taken as either a joke or threat. The signing ceremony in Cairo yesterday between Fatah and Hamas is likely to mark a turning point, not only for the concept, but also for the Palestinian and regional situation.

The land mines that threaten to shatter this reconciliation are not buried underground; they are visible. Still, it’s vital to examine whether the rapprochement offers a new opportunity not only for the Palestinians, but also for Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in contrast to the public positions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, thinks the reconciliation offers Israel a strategic opportunity. A secret ministry report revealed in Haaretz yesterday by Barak Ravid advised the government to view the report as an opportunity and refrain from attacking it.

The reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas depends on a new perception of strategy, born hurriedly in the upheavals that are still taking place in the Middle East. According to this idea, the closing of ranks between the two factions, each controlling a separate Palestinian territory, is the preferred path to achieving international recognition of both a Palestinian state and all elements in the Palestinian leadership.

The Palestinians hope this recognition will advance their liberation from the Israeli occupation after 20 years in which neither they nor their Arab partners have managed to change Israel’s position. Israel, which views the Palestinians’ national aspirations as a strategic threat, has begun an aggressive campaign to destroy the reconciliation, as if a situation in which Hamas quarrels with Fatah provided greater security, or as if Israel had been willing to sign a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority before the two factions reconciled. These two arguments are nothing more than sleight of hand intended to disguise the traditional Israeli view that a union of the two movements is a threat.

The agreement signed yesterday obligates Israel to revisit its positions. Israel cannot and does not have to thwart it. It would also be correct for Israel to recognize the Palestinian unity government in order to conduct a dialogue and neighborly relations with the Palestinian state in the future."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/palestinian-unity-is-an-opportunity-not-a-threat-1.359862