The representatives of the two movements were scheduled to meet in Damascus on Wednesday to discuss the “security file” and other related issues to achieve a reconciliation agreement that will restore political unity to the Palestinian territories, severed since Hamas routed pro-President Mahmoud Abbas forces and ousted Fatah in deadly fighting in Gaza in 2007.
Hamas said in a press statement that representatives of Fatah refused to attend the meeting in the Syrian capital.
Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, said in a press statement that the movement decision came due to a friction between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian President Bashar Assad over peace talks. Al-Ahmad added that his movement “proposed to Hamas movement to move the meeting to another Arab country because we want the meeting to succeed, but Hamas rejected the offer.”
He added that contacts with Hamas to fix the place and time of the next meeting was still on track.
Assad said during the meeting of the Arab League monitoring committee in Libya early this month that the Palestinians must continue their resistance against Israel.
Assad clashed with Abbas at the meeting when the Syrian leader argued that it is not the Arab League’s role to grant the Palestinians permission to negotiate with Israel. It is an issue for the Palestinians to decide, he said.
Abbas responded by saying that “the Palestinian problem is an Arab problem, and if the Arab League does not make a decision, it means it is washing its hands of the Palestinian problem.”
Assad called on the Palestinians to continue the resistance against Israel instead of discussing the settlement freeze, but was rebuffed by Abbas who said that if he did not insist on a settlement freeze there will be no land left on which to build a Palestinian state.
In October 2009, Egypt presented a draft of reconciliation to the Palestinian factions, mainly rivals Fatah and Hamas. Fatah accepted the reconciliation draft while Hamas refused to sign and said it had some reservations that should be reconsidered.
Hamas’ reservations include the formation of a special committee to oversee parliamentary and presidential elections that were due in January 2010 and the reform of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Hamas wants these two issues be handled through a committee representing all the factions and says the Egyptian paper authorized Abbas to form these committees without national understanding.
Egypt, which hosted five rounds of Palestinian national dialogue, rejected Hamas’ demands and said that signing on the pact should be made first, and observations, reservations and notes would be added after the signing in a special appendix. Since then, ties between Cairo and Hamas have deteriorated.
