Hamas and Fatah Reach Agreement
Weekly update from Churches for Middle East Peace
Following weeks of tension, Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to transfer control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA) September 25th. Hassin Alsheikh, a Fatah negotiator, told reporters that Hamas agreed to support Abbas’ plan to establish a Palestinian state within the ’67 lines. This agreement comes one day before Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly and just weeks of ahead of an international donor conference on the reconstruction in Gaza.
Transfer of control of the Gaza strip to the PA will allow them to manage construction material and humanitarian moving through Gaza’s crossings. This addresses some of the concerns international donors had regarding participation the participation of Hamas in the rebuilding of Gaza.