Palestinians announce US meeting freeze

MOVE COMES AS FACTIONS MEET IN CAIRO IN RECONCILIATION PUSH

Decision follows a quarrel with Trump administration over future of their representative office in Washington |

Palestinian officials announced yesterday they had suspended meetings with the US following a quarrel with President Donald Trump’s administration over the future of their representative office in Washington.

The announcement came on the same day the leading Palestinian political factions began talks in Cairo aimed at pushing ahead with reconciliation efforts.

It was not immediately clear if the row with Washington would impact on the reconciliation talks and the suspension of meetings was not confirmed by the Americans.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al Malki and other officials said they had suspended all meetings, but speaking during a visit to Spain, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he remained committed to working with Trump and America to achieve a lasting peace deal.

Leading Palestinian political factions began talks in Cairo on Tuesday aimed at pushing ahead with reconciliation efforts, including discussing the formation of a unity government.

Representatives of 13 political parties arrived in the Egyptian capital on Monday ahead of talks that are expected to last three days, participants said.

The United Nations has said the reconciliation efforts “must not be allowed to fail” or another round of conflict with Israel could break out.

The two largest parties — Fatah and Hamas — signed an Egyptian-sponsored unity deal on October 12 under which Hamas is supposed to cede power in the Gaza Strip by December 1.

As part of that deal, both parties and other smaller groups are expected to discuss several issues in Cairo, including forming a unity government and holding elections.

There have been no Palestinian parliamentary elections since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian National Authority government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Palestinians and international powers hope implementation of the unity deal could help ease the suffering of Gaza’s two million residents, who suffer from severe poverty and unemployment.

Blockade

Israel has maintained a crippling decade-long blockade of Gaza, while Egypt has also largely closed its border in recent years.

The division between Palestinian factions has also been cited as one of the largest obstacles to meaningful peace talks with the Israelis.

Previous reconciliation attempts have failed.

The exact timetable for yesterday’s meeting is unclear, and the Egyptian government has not publicly announced the location of the talks.

Fatah’s delegation is being headed by negotiator Azzam Al Ahmad. On the Hamas side, deputy leader Salah Aruri is the highest-ranking official present. Neither Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas nor Hamas chief Esmail Haniya are attending.

Full control

The October accord is supposed to see Fatah retake full control of Gaza, but significant stumbling blocks remain.

In particular, the future of Hamas’s vast armed wing is hotly disputed. Abbas has repeatedly said he will only accept one military authority in the Occupied Territories, but Hamas officials have refused to disarm.

Israel has also said it will not accept any Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless the group puts down its weapons.

Grant Rumley, research fellow at the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the issue had the potential to derail reconciliation efforts.

He said the parties could choose to avoid looking for a final decision on Hamas’s weapons at this week’s talks, instead looking to build trust between the parties who have been at loggerheads for a decade. “I think a sign of success is if [the reconciliation push] doesn’t break down,” he said.

In a crucial first step, Hamas handed over Gaza’s border crossings on November 1. Control of a number of government ministries has also been transferred.

But in recent days progress has appeared to stall, with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah suggesting the PNA needed full security control of Gaza before further steps could be taken.