Gaza to pass under Palestinian Authority control by December 1st
The agreement between Fatah and Hamas was signed today in Cairo after two days of intense negotiations. The security of the Rafah border will be managed by the Palestinian Authority. Abbas: definitive agreement.
Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) will take full control of the Gaza Strip by December 1st. This is what has been decided today by representatives of Palestinian authorities Fatah and Hamas, Azzam al-Ahmad and Salah al-Aruri, in Cairo for signing the reconciliation agreement that ends a 10-year division. The intense negotiations took place in the Egyptian capital for two days with the patronage of the host country, the main promoter of reunification.
The agreement should mean an end to PA punitive measures against Hamas, in particular, the cut of the electricty supplies, a major cause of struggle for the population.
The main points discussed in the negotiations were the border management with Egypt Rafah and security within the Strip, for which it is expected the addition of 3,000 PA police officers. As for the Rafah passage, its management will be in the hands of the presidential guards of the PA by November 1st.
Other issues, such as the future of Hamas military wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam, will be agreed in the coming days. A further round of talks in Cairo is scheduled for November 21, to which all Palestinian factions will participate.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the PA, declared the agreement ending the Palestinian divide “definitive”. Abbas should visit Gaza within a month.
Tensions between the two entities started since 2007 when Hamas expelled Fatah's representatives from the Strip. This separation has often been cited as a reason for delaying the Palestinian Authority's presidential election since 2009.
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