Dominant Palestinian factions' talks widely welcomed, sparking new hope

The call for a new dialogue committee of all Palestinian factions at an Egyptian-hosted meeting was widely welcomed by observers as it sparked hope anew in the contentious path to achieving full Palestinian statehood.

The talks on Sunday in Egypt's New Alamein City, attended by rival movements, ruling Fatah and Gaza-controlling Hamas, also saw Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a rare face-to-face meeting.

Hamas and Fatah are the two most dominant parties in Palestine's political landscape.

But the Palestine Islamic Jihad boycotted the gathering because of the political arrests of some of its members by the Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas.

"I feel this round of reconciliation or negotiations is different from the previous ones. It came as an initiative by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas," Ayman Yousef, a professor of international relations at the Arab American University in Jenin in the West Bank, told China Daily.

The meeting between Abbas and Haniyeh "might send positive signals to activists of Hamas to reconcile and to prepare for a new stage. The discussion remains at a very much general level," he added.

Still, Yousef said, having the dialogue committee is a good point because of the importance of uniting the Palestinians, the importance of ending the occupation, the importance of having one authority, the importance of reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, and other strategic issues.

Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Abbas considered the meeting a first and important step for a national dialogue, expressing hope that the desired goals will be achieved as soon as possible.

Abbas stressed in the meeting the PLO "is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people", emphasizing the need to adhere to its political program, and to all its international obligations.

Further, Abbas said the 2007 conflict and the division it caused "must end immediately without any hesitation or delay "and that the division "is a new catastrophe that befell the Palestinian people and cause", adding that national unity and joint collective action must be based on clear principles and foundations to end division and achieve unity.

Hamas has been dominant in the Gaza Strip since 2007, after defeating Abbas' Fatah party in the 2006 parliamentary elections.

"The potential optimism surrounding this situation might have been influenced by the ongoing political turbulence in Israel, stemming from a judicial overhaul, prompting the parties to demonstrate a unified stance," Arhama Siddiqa, a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad in Pakistan, told China Daily.

She also said the efficacy of the ongoing dialogue would be deemed appropriate "only if it leads to concrete outcomes and tangible progress" or otherwise, it "risks becoming mere rhetoric, a scenario that has occurred multiple times in the past".

Tough issues

"Even though the tough issues are not yet on the table, the step-by-step approach taken by both sides provides a ray of hope. The real test of the agreement, of course, will be its implementation on the ground," said Siddiqa.

Muslim Imran, director at the Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, a think tank in Malaysia, told China Daily the Palestinian political groups and resistance factions should conduct continuous dialogues in order to formulate national agenda and reform their national institutions.

But he believes it is hard to form a united Palestinian bloc. He also said the Palestinians have been trying to talk to Israelis, but "there is a rising right-wing surge in Israel", making it impossible to reach any peace or settlement.

Abbas said in the meeting that "the continued barbaric Israeli aggression obliges us all to rise to the level of true national responsibility", and to "confront this occupation that targets our existence, our rights and our sanctities".

He said he invited heads of factions for the meeting "to study ways to achieve national unity", adding that they "have practiced different forms of struggle at different stages in our national march", and that peaceful popular resistance, at this stage, "is the best way to continue our struggle and achieve our national goals".

Imran said Abbas was "more inclined to stick to the peace process" and the Israeli side "does not want to talk peace".

"To me, the most important thing is that these talks are taking place. The Palestinians don't need mediators. The Palestinians should not wait for mediators to bring them to talk to each other. They should continue to have direct channels of communication," said Imran.