Palestinian factions differ on priorities in Cairo talks

US officials insist they will maintain open dialogue with Palestinian leaders

Rival Palestinian factions resumed reconciliation talks in Cairo on Tuesday as differences surfaced over the best way to implement their deal to end a decade-old rift that has hampered efforts towards statehood.

The Palestinian National Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, retook control of Gaza’s border crossings from Hamas this month, a key step in the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal. Under the agreement, the consensus government is due to take full administrative control of Gaza by December 1.

But disputes emerged over how to proceed, with Hamas keen to push for an agreement on other thorny issues, including security and elections, and Fatah reluctant to move forward until the unity administration has assumed complete authority over the coastal enclave.

Azzam Al Ahmad, the chief Fatah negotiator, said progress was slow but avoided assigning blame. “Some are presenting obstacles to this process, obstacles we do not want,” he told reporters in Cairo. “But we hope that by December 1 this phase will be completed and we can move on to the next phase in the talks.”

Hamas official Fawzy Barhoom issued a statement ahead of the talks saying the group’s vision for success involved tackling hot topics early on. “The movement affirms the need to redouble efforts to ensure the success of this Egyptian-mediated dialogue,” he said on his Facebook page.

Salah Al Bardaweel, a Hamas negotiator, said in a short video sent to reporters that Fatah’s priorities were at odds with those of other factions. For the first time, a broad range of Palestinian opinion is present in Cairo, with representatives of 13 groups at the talks.

Diplomatic office

Meanwhile, US officials scrambled to insist on Tuesday that they will maintain an open dialogue with Palestinian leaders, despite moving to close their diplomatic office in Washington. When questioned on the closure by reporters, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert went as far as to say: “I think we’d like for them to be able to keep it open. “Shutting down an office — that’s not what we are talking about today. There are some conversations underway.”