MUNICH: The prime minister of the Palestinian Authority stated on Sunday that the PA was prepared to negotiate with Hamas and that Russia has invited the various Palestinian groups to a meeting in Moscow on February 26.
All Palestinian factions are invited by Russia to the summit that will take place in Moscow on the 26th of this month. At the Munich Security Conference, Mohammad Shtayyeh said, “We will see if Hamas is ready for going to the ground with us.”
“We are prepared to interact. It’s a different story if Hamas is not. He stated, “We need Palestinian unity,” adding that Hamas has to fulfill specific requirements in order to be included in that unity.
Established in 1993 as a component of the Oslo peace agreements among Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which sparked aspirations for Palestinian statehood, the PA has witnessed a steady erosion of its legitimacy due to Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority is prepared to cooperate with Hamas in order to preserve good relations with Moscow.
These days, a lot of Palestinians think it is outdated, corrupt, and undemocratic. After forcing the PA-aligned security agencies out of the enclave, Hamas has dominated the Gaza Strip for the past 17 years.
Once the fighting is finished, Western and some Arab powers have made it plain that they want the Palestinian Authority, which President Mahmoud Abbas has led since 2005, to take control of Gaza and unite its management with the West Bank.
Palestine’s prepared. We are under occupation, which is a severe concern even though we have the institutions and capabilities, Shtayyeh stated. “We demand an end to the Israeli occupation of our territory.” In response to the question of whether included Hamas in the wider PLO platform would enrage foreign allies, he stated that Hamas was an essential component of the Palestinian political landscape.
“We are arguing for popular resistance and absolutely nothing else,” he stated, adding that Hamas must accept certain requirements in order to become a member of the PLO, including the PLO’s political platform and an awareness of the problem of resistance.
Hamas has always welcomed Russian reconciliation efforts. Leaders of the Palestinian Islamist factions have repeatedly visited Moscow, which maintains good relations with Hamas.
Hamas and the PA have failed to end their power disputes since 2007. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group demand to join the PLO but say it should be reformed as the two factions reject recognising Israel or abiding by the PLO commitment towards the signed peace accords.
According to Shtayyeh, there aren’t any discussions with Hamas right now.
They must attend to our political program. We have pretty clear ground. “Through peaceful means, two states on the borders of 1967,” he declared. “There needs to be unity among the Palestinians.” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated, “We need a rebuilt PA because at the moment Hamas has excessive legitimacy in the minds of the Palestinians.”
“We must present them with a fresh cohort of youthful Palestinian leaders who will take part in the establishment of this state.”
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
