RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY: A senior Fatah official on Wednesday said that his movement unilaterally signed the Egyptian-mediated reconciliation agreement with rival Hamas movement, despite recent tension over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' conduct following the Goldstone report.
Jamal Mhaisen, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, told Arab News that they signed the agreement because of the movement's "positive perspective" on the plan. He added that Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, will hand over the signed agreement to the Egyptian mediators on Thursday.
Hamas said it is still studying the draft. Ismail Redwan, a senior Hamas leader, said: "We have made no official response so far. The proposed draft is still under study to guarantee the supreme national interest." He refused to speculate when the group would send its response to Cairo.
The formal signing of the agreement had been scheduled for later this month in Cairo.
The reconciliation talks came close to collapse in recent weeks over Abbas' refusal to push for a UN debate on the Goldstone report, which accused Israel of committing war crimes during its war on Gaza early this year. Hamas asked Cairo to postpone a truce conference scheduled there for October 25. Abbas has since then changed his position on the matter and demanded that Israeli "war criminals" be punished. The UN Human Rights Council is set to hold a special session in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the report following a request by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Mhaisen said he doubted Hamas' commitment to the agreement even if the party chooses to sign it. "Even if they sign the agreement, Hamas will search for pretexts to avoid implementing the terms of the accord because they are not serious in seeking reconciliation," he added.
