TEL AVIV — The government of the Palestinian Authority is set to begin fulfilling governmental roles in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Monday, announcing that his government has arrived in the enclave to move into governmental offices and accept responsibility for security and border crossings.
Meanwhile, despite the Palestinian prime minister’s comments regarding security and the border crossings, Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah’s central committee and minister of citizen affairs, said the issue of transferring responsibility for security and border crossings to the Palestinian Authority will wait until a final reconciliation agreement is concluded between Fatah and the Hamas terrorist organization.
The two factions are expected to travel this month to the Egyptian capital to continue national reconciliation negotiations even as governmental responsibilities in Gaza are being handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
Among the most problematic issues in the way of reconciliation remain the presence of Hamas security personnel in the Gaza Strip, especially on the borders, the issue of paying the salaries of thousands of Hamas employees who are left without jobs upon the return of the Palestinian Authority, and the issue of Hamas participation among the leadership of the PLO.
Secretary of Fatah’s revolutionary council, Fayez Abu Aita told Breitbart Jerusalem that he believes Hamas and Fatah are headed for true national reconciliation “in order to confront the plans of the Israeli occupation as one.”
According to Aita, “Hamas has adopted a positive approach in order to bring about the success of the reconciliation by allowing the return of the legitimate Palestinian government to the Gaza Strip and giving the government the ability to fulfill its position to solve all the crises of the residents of Gaza since the Palestinian division 10 years ago.”
Aita said that the “Palestinian government will hold its first weekly meeting in Gaza on Tuesday and afterward the ministers will hold team meetings in their Gaza offices that will be attended by ministry heads, who were all Hamas members until now, in order to insure the proper transfer of ministerial responsibility in these ministries.”
Aita said that Fatah and Hamas delegations, along with other factions, will leave for Egypt next week in order to begin reconciliation talks and discuss the issues still in dispute, mainly the payment of thousands of Hamas officials, security responsibility at the border crossings, Hamas participation in the PLO and the holding of general elections. Aita said he believes that issues regarding the electricity crisis, water, and other differences will soon be solved.