Hamas reaches out to Fatah for 'political partnership'

Hamas' Salah Bardawil has called for 'urgent and immediate' reconciliation Gaza – Mohammed Habib Hamas spokesperson Salah Bardawil has said that "a lengthy wait for reconciliation is no longer acceptable in Palestine," just a day after reports that reconciliation was on the cards "in the next few weeks."  Bardawil said that Hamas has made concessions that no one else would "for the sake of reconciliation," referring to the Islamist movement's release of Fatah prisoners arrested for threatening public order and security, as well as allowing Fatah to hold its 48th anniversary festival in downtown Gaza City. Bardawil said that Hamas and the Palestinian government had "expended their full efforts" in order to secure the celebration held on Friday "out of a belief in political partnership."
"Fatah works above ground in Gaza and with total freedom which is evidence for the wide margin of freedom that the movement has in the Gaza Strip," Bardawil said, adding that this policy toward Fatah is the result of Hamas' "deeply-entrenched conviction" of the need to move beyond the "crack in the relationship" between the two movements caused by the division.
Bardawil also said that Fatah, represented by the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, is "required to allow further liberties in the West Bank" to allow Hamas to work there. He said that "some people" in Fatah and the PA were working to sabotage reconciliation efforts.
The Hamas spokesperson also demanded that Fatah "translates" its pro-reconciliation rhetoric into action on the ground. "Palestinians are tired of statements that never go further than their TV screens," he said.
Bardawil also said that the situation is conducive to an "urgent and immediate" reconciliation, adding that delay is "not in the best interest of the Palestinian people" and citing increased Israeli control of occupied Jerusalem as a key factor.
On developments in the reconciliation talks held between Hamas, Fatah and the other factions in Cairo, Bardawil said the Egyptian capital will soon be host to "intensive movements" as Egypt works to broker the reconciliation.
The Hamas spokesperson said Cairo was "not the problem," and signalled towards "Fatah's readiness" to complete the reconciliation. In reference to the Gaza Strip, Bardawil said the reconciliation must take place where the division occurred.
The spokesperson added, "arriving at the reconciliation requires taking successive steps, with one step smoothly leading to the next and no jumps backwards or forwards."
He also said there will be no "sound" elections until the reconciliation is achieved and all the effects of the division are erased, adding that "jumping" to elections immediately would engender the political division, referring to the origin of the Hamas-Fatah schism in the 2006 legislative elections."
A report by the Gaza-based Centre for Global Study (CGS) says that Palestinian reconciliation could occur "within the next few weeks."  
The report released on Saturday lays out the circumstances surrounding the Egyptian-brokered talks in Cairo, including the incentive factors for reconciliation, indicators of goodwill seen on the internal Palestinian arena, the obstacles that stand in the way of ending division and the method used by both parties to raise the bar in negotiations.
The report described the next round of talks between Fatah and Hamas as "decisive," with Palestine's future political reality dependent on its outcome.
Hamas' incentive for seeking reconciliation, the CGS report said, is the movement's awareness of its need for a collective national cover in the face of Israeli plots and assaults, in addition to the unity brought on by the recent war on Gaza. The report praised Fatah's stance and its avoidance of exploiting the situation to settle scores or cause disturbances on the internal front in Gaza.
Hamas also, according to the report, is eager to cash in on its military victory over Israel to reinforce its national status, especially as a wide spectrum of Hamas leaders believe that the ground is prepared for consensus over a national strategy.
As for Fatah's incentives for completing the reconciliation process, the report cites the movement and the Palestinian Authority's despair over peace with Israel under Benajmin Netanyahu's government. Fatah and the PA, the report adds, are also sensing a heightened threat. Coupled with the morale boost of the United Nations vote to award the PA the status of non-member observer state, Fatah and the PA's decision not to succumb to Israel and American pressures and their belief that national unity is necessary in the post-UN stage, have all prompted Fatah to seek prompt reconciliation.
On the goodwill indicator, the report referred to the staging of events marking both movements' anniversaries in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and toning down the clampdown on Hamas activists in the West Bank.
These indicators, the report said, are only preliminary, limited and lacking in the necessary sustainability, and therefore require further development and expansion in order to become genuine initiatives capable of supporting the desired reconciliation.
 The report also referred to obstacles facing the reconciliation, citing remarks from members of both camps, the continuing low-level pursuit of Hamas activists in the West Bank and PA's continued coordination with Israel over security matters.
The report suggested that both camps avoid instigating tensions in the media, tabling only the most crucial issues for negotiation and ensuring that the media is kept out of the loop in terms of the substance of talks. The report also predicted that the policy of raising the bar will continue to be the order of the day until talks begin in Cairo.
On Egypt's anticipated role, the report noted that both camps are approaching the talks with faith in the Egyptian broker. As Egypt begins to recover its internal stability after the recent crisis, the report cites indications that Egypt is reasserting its role in supporting the Palestinian cause and reconciliation efforts.
According to the report, previous talks and agreements between Fatah and Hamas [especially Cairo 2011 and Doha 2012] mean there is no need for extended talks, with the emphasis being on implementing previously agreed terms.