Palestinian Factions Land Reconciliation: Hamas Leaders Tell Historical Moments, Fatah Figures Promise Realization

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Joi Ito)

JAKARTA - The warring factions in Palestine agreed to a reconciliation agreement to resolve the 15-year dispute, through a new election in Algerian mediated talks.

The agreement was signed by senior leader Fatah Azzam al-Ahmad, head of political bureau Hamas Ismail Haniyeh and secretary general of the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine Talal Naji.

"This is a historic moment, where we look at Jerusalem," Haniyeh said before he thanked Algerian President Abdulmajed Tabboune for his country's efforts to sponsor talks.

"We are proud to stand at this time, under the auspices of President Abdulmajee Tabboune, to sign this agreement and get rid of the (political) divisions and cancer that have entered the Palestinian body. As Fatah, we promise to be the first to implement this agreement," said al-Ahmad.

Other Palestinian figures invited to sign the document include senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Ahmed Majdalani, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouti and Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party Bassam al-Salhi.

The agreement was signed after 14 faction leaders, including the Fatah movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, held talks two days before the Arab summit in Aljir next month.

According to Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem, the deal is not part of forming a unity government, but it includes a clause on the development of the PLO structure, forming its national council and holding legislative and presidential elections.

However, there remains skepticism this deal will make real changes, after the previous election promise failed to materialize.

Under the agreement, the parties pledged to "accelerate the holding of presidential and legislative elections in all Palestinian territories including Jerusalem, within a year." It also recognized the PLO, led by Abbas, as the only representative of the Palestinian people.

Political divisions since 2007 have weakened Palestinian aspirations to become a country and have prevented presidential and parliamentary elections from taking place since the last vote was held in 2005 and 2006.

"We have very high hopes this time, especially because of Israel's latest attacks on our people," Qassem told Al Jazeera.

It is known that Fatah and Hamas had previously sought to resolve their differences in several rounds of talks, even agreeing to form a temporary government in the past, but reconciliation has not yet materialized.