US undermining Palestinian reconciliation efforts

Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Meshaal says the US administration is making every effort to frustrate endeavors to reconcile rival Palestinian groups.

At a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, Meshaal reaffirmed Hamas’ willingness to strike a Palestinian reconciliation deal with the rival Fatah faction if Hamas’ conditions on the Egyptian reconciliation proposal are taken into account.

He also welcomed any Russian or international role to support Cairo’s efforts to lay the groundwork for ending the Palestinian political divisions.

Meshaal praised Moscow for its support of Hamas, adding that it reflected Russian enthusiasm to interact with all key players in the Middle East region.

He also called on the international community to fulfill their commitment to rebuild the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by the Israeli war of December 2008 to January 2009.

The funds for the war-battered coastal sliver are available, but international and Arab mechanisms are required to facilitate the reconstruction process, Meshaal added.

Lavorov pointed out that his meeting with the Hamas delegation touched on a number of points, including ways to enhance Egypt’s efforts to reunite the Palestinians.

Over the past few years, the internecine conflict between Hamas and Fatah has left the Palestinians seriously divided.

Yet Egypt has been struggling for months to get opposing Palestinian factions to sign a reconciliation deal.

However, the Palestinian factions say they won’t ink the Egyptian deal unless it includes the right to resistance. Cairo’s latest proposal seeks to pave the way for new Palestinian presidential and legislative elections next summer.

Ever since Hamas won an outright majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, the two factions have had a bitter rivalry featuring sporadic fighting and tit-for-tat arrests. Hostility boiled over in the summer of 2007, when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah.

Since then, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip, while Fatah has continued to control the West Bank from Ramallah. Further complicating the situation, Israel and Egypt — with the Palestinian Authority’s blessings — have both sealed their borders with the Gaza Strip, effectively cutting off the coastal enclave from the rest of the world.