West Bank-based Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is to make his first visit to Gaza since 2015 on Monday, in a fresh attempt to reconcile with the Islamist movement Hamas which rules the Israel-blockaded coastal enclave.
The trip by Mr. Hamdallah and several of his Ministers aims to crown a rapprochement between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party after a decade of animosity and spurts of violence.
Transfer of power
The talks are intended to prepare for a transfer of power in the Gaza Strip from Hamas to Mr. Abbas’s Palestinian Authority.
Hamas and its rival Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, have both expressed confidence that the latest unity initiative will fare better than the failures of the past.
But among many questions to be answered is the central issue of whether Hamas is really prepared to give up its Gaza security apparatus and share power with the PA. Senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuq has said there is “great hope” for the success of the reconciliation efforts but that disarming Hamas personnel is not on the agenda.
Azzam al-Ahmad, a leading Fatah member, said he was now “more optimistic of ending Palestinian division in Gaza than at any previous opportunity”.
Mr. Abbas has this year turned the screw on his rival, halting payments to Israel for electricity it supplies to Gaza, cutting the salaries of officials in the territory and limiting the number of Gazans given approval to receive medical treatment elsewhere.
