Hamas to sign on reconciliation deal

Hamas leader in Gaza Mahmoud Al-Zahar conditioned that his movement will sign on an Egyptian-drafted reconciliation pact if Egypt promised to carry out the agreement.

“We want to sign on clear things, and Egypt should clarify unclear things in order to avoid previous violence and protect the agreement,” said Al-Zahar.

Last October, Egypt, which had sponsored the internal Palestinian dialogue for two years, presented a drafted reconciliation pact to the Palestinian factions, including rival Fatah and Hamas movements.

Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, refused to sign on it, saying there are certain items that need to be amended.

“We don’t want to go for reconciliation and dissolve the political programs of other parties or factions, we want to keep them, go for elections and accept the results,” said Al-Zahar, who recommended to go for internal reconciliation among all the Palestinians during the transitional period of reconciliation.

He called on Egypt to invite Hamas leaders to discuss how to reach a reconciliation agreement and stop the furious campaign of media that aims to create a split between Hamas and Egypt.