Palestinian factions agree to implement ceasefire, hand over Gaza governance to ‘technocrats’
Following a meeting with different Palestinian factions in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, Hamas says the meeting came as part of preparations to hold a comprehensive “national dialogue to protect the national project and restore national unity”.
“The Palestinian forces stressed that the current phase requires a unified national stance and a national political vision based on unity of voice and destiny, and the rejection of all forms of annexation and displacement in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem,” according to a statement by Hamas.
It outlined five points that the factions had agreed on, which included:
- “support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures”, including the lifting of the blockade and the opening of all crossings in Gaza
- “handing over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent ‘technocrats’ from the Strip”
- “establishing an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Strip”
- “taking all necessary measures to maintain security and stability throughout the Strip” and calling for an “end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons”
- “continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause”
Total Hamas disarmament ‘not achievable, not likely’ at this stage
As Washington tries to iron out the details of phase two of Trump’s Gaza plan, including a demand for Hamas to disarm, analyst Rob Geist Pinfold says “all sorts of compromises” are possible on disarmament.
“Hamas could, for example, agree to give up its heavy weapons – things like its long-range rockets and mortars – whilst keeping its small arms,” said Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London.
“The issue here will be Israel. Netanyahu has campaigned on total victory, the total destruction, the disarmament, of Hamas, which will mean that Israel will drag its feet all the way.”
Pinfold told Al Jazeera that completely disarming the Palestinian group at this stage is “not achievable and not likely”.
“The group will be basically committing institutional suicide and giving up something which it won’t be able to get back in the future to use as leverage against Israel. If we are going to see any disarmament of Hamas, it’s likely to be some kind of a compromise solution rather than the wholesale disarmament of the group.”
It will also lead to civil war as long as there is no viable replacement. The clans and gangs, some armed and protected by Israel, will further destabilize civil order with the risk of igniting clan turf wars. (Which is ofcourse what Netanyahu is hoping to happen)
