PA pushing for unity with Hamas

• Jibril Rajoub: “We say to our brothers in Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement – the ball is in your court”

While Israel and much of the international community are still horrified by Hamas’ atrocities committed on Oct. 7, the Palestinian Authority, which refused to condemn the atrocities, continues to promote its goal of unity with Hamas.

A regular columnist for the official PA daily told PA TV yesterday:

"I hope that Hamas...will examine itself again and turn in the direction of the PLO, because the organization has never closed its door, neither to Hamas nor to the [Islamic] Jihad nor to any national power. I hope they will come to the right path and become partners within the PLO."

[Official PA TV, Feb. 11, 2024]

One man appointed by Mahmoud Abbas to promote this unity is Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub. Speaking in the name of Abbas, Rajoub said: 

“We say to our brothers in Hamas: We stand before a great turning point… I call on them, on behalf of the Palestinian leadership, Mahmoud Abbas, and the PLO Executive Committee – we say to them[Hamas]: Come build a political rapprochement regarding the international project, and build rapprochement regarding the struggle… We say to our brothers in Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement– the ball is in your court”

[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page, Dec. 17, 2023]

Rajoub also confirmed that progress is being made in these unity discussions:

“Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub confirmed that communication with the Hamas Movement is based on agreements that are wider than the gaps [between the sides], and [said:] ‘We aspire to build a formula on it that will achieve the unity of the homeland, the land, and the people.’…Rajoub said: ‘I personally met with (Hamas leaders) [parentheses in source] more than once, before, during, and after the war, and we have not made a decision to stop the communication.’ …”

In addition, Fatah and Hamas leaders held a meeting in Lebanon to promote cooperation and unity.

“A delegation from the Fatah Movement leadership in Lebanon met with a delegation from the Hamas Movement leadership in Lebanon at the embassy building of the State of Palestine, in the presence of [PLO] Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour.

The Fatah delegation included Secretary of Fatah and the PLO factions in Lebanon Fathi Abu Al-Ardat, Fatah Branch Secretary Hussein Fayyad, Fatah leadership member in Lebanon Mundhir Hamza, and Fatah Lebanon Branch Deputy Secretary Ghassan Abd Al-Ghani.

The Hamas delegation included Hamas Representative in Lebanon Ahmed Al-Hadi, Hamas Deputy Political Director in Lebanon Jihad Taha, Hamas Director of National Relations in Lebanon Ayman Shanaah, Hamas Coordinator of Political Relations in Lebanon Mashour Abd Al-Halim, and Hamas Director of Public Relations in Lebanon Khaled Ismail.”

[Falestinona, website of Fatah’s Information and Culture Commission in Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2024]

One significant question is how the United States, which has been pressuring Israel to accept the PA as the ruler of Gaza, would respond to a Hamas-Fatah unity PA government.