GAZA CITY: Hamas gave its tentative support Tuesday to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the movement and the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid a looming constitutional crisis.
“We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some “modification before it could be implemented.
“The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership.
Representatives from both sides have been invited to meet in Cairo on Nov. 9 to discuss the Egyptian plan, which is aimed at restoring unity amid a looming constitutional crisis that threatens to deepen the internal rift.
The plan includes Abbas’ proposal for forming a “national consensus government to lift the international blockade of Gaza and prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.
The plan also calls for the rehabilitation of independent Palestinian security forces with assistance from Arab states and the incorporation of Hamas and the hardline Islamic Jihad into the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) headed by Abbas, which is responsible for negotiations with Israel.
Azzam Al-Ahmed, who heads the Fatah parliamentary bloc, called the plan a “good foundation for an agreement and for ending Palestinian divisions.
“We have received the suggested Egyptian document and the decision to hold a meeting on Nov. 9, and we want to launch a comprehensive national dialogue to reach an understanding on all the issues, he told AFP by phone from Egypt.
At the same time he criticized the “skeptical language coming from Hamas, saying it did not bode well for the talks.
Eleven Palestinian factions have also agreed to the plan.A spokesman for Islamic Jihad said his movement had some “reservations about some points in the plan but that it supported the overall initiative. -AFP
