Inside the Fatah-Hamas talks for Gaza’s post-war governance
Palestinians walk in front of graffiti in Arabic – ‘We will rebuild Gaza’ – on the wall of a building destroyed during Israeli attacks, Gaza City, 29 May 2024
Alessandra Bajec reports in The New Arab on 11 December 2024:
In a rare step towards unity, Fatah and Hamas agreed last week to create a joint committee to oversee the civil administration of the post-war Gaza Strip. Following weeks of talks in Cairo, a preliminary agreement was reached on a draft document to form the working group.
Based on the two-page document, the proposed Community Support Committee (CSC), comprising 10 to 15 politically independent technocrats, most of them from Gaza, will administer the Strip, reporting to the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank and coordinating with local and international partners to manage reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
Under the plan, the CSC will be responsible for all sectors including the economy, education, health, relief work, and reconstruction. It will also run the Palestinian side of the Rafah checkpoint on the border with Egypt, a key entry point for aid into Gaza which has been closed since Israel captured it in May.
The new body would not assume any political or security responsibilities and would effectively bring an end to Hamas’s governance of the besieged territory. It is supposed to take on its duties after a ceasefire agreement with Israel and continue to function until general elections are held in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The accord is a positive development amid 17 years of political division between the two rival Palestinian groups. Multiple reconciliation attempts have failed since 2007 when Hamas seized power in Gaza, formerly ruled by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA). The move comes amid ongoing deadlock in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“This agreement is the result of extensive talks, it has Arab backing. It shows great promise in principle,” Al-Shabaka policy analyst Hanna Alshaikh told The New Arab, noting that both Palestinian parties find the technocratic composition of the CSC an “agreeable” point.
As Israel’s war on Gaza persists unabated, the initiative could hypothetically encourage the US to press Israel to consent to a ceasefire. Officials and mediators say talks are advancing to end the war, including discussions over the exchange of Palestinian political prisoners and Israeli hostages.
Egypt has held talks with Hamas leaders, while Qatar could decide this week whether to invite Israeli, US, and Egyptian figures to Doha to negotiate a final deal.
Yet there are still hurdles to overcome.