As the PA readies to resume control of the Gaza border crossings a decade after Hamas seized control of the strip, Israel believes the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation is doomed to fail • Concerns rise that potential unrest in Gaza would turn against Israel.
By Lilach Shoval, ISRAEL HAYOM
Barring any last-minute changes, the Palestinian Authority is slated to resume control of the Gaza Strip border crossings on Wednesday, a decade after Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave in a military coup. The move is part of the reconciliation deal signed between the rival Palestinian factions earlier this month, but a senior defense official told Israel Hayom that optimistic headlines aside, the Palestinian rapprochement seems to be “going nowhere.”
Once the Palestinian Authority resumes control of the border crossings, Fatah security forces will operate the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossings, through which goods enter the strip, and the Erez Crossing, which Palestinians use to enter and exit Israel.
Israeli defense officials surmised Sunday that the deployment of Fatah forces at the crossing is likely to accompanied by friction, and that the Palestinian Authority will likely avoid, at least at first, flexing its muscles in Gaza so as to minimize potential clashes.
Meanwhile, the presence of Fatah forces at the crossings will streamline operations on the Israeli side, as it will eliminate the need for a third-party mediator when it comes to transferring goods into Gaza. Currently, a third party is used to avoid direct contact with Hamas.
But Israel holds little hope for a successful Palestinian reconciliation, as previous unity deals, most recently in 2014, collapsed within months. Senior Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that all signs point to the current Fatah-Hamas negotiations “going nowhere” and being “nonsense.”
Other Israeli officials were a little less pessimistic about the outcome of the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, because this time, Egypt, which brokered the deal, was actively involved in every step of the process.
Another reason some defense officials believe this time could be different is that unlike past unity efforts, the current Fatah-Hamas deal includes a series of deadlines, such as the Nov. 1 transfer of control of the border crossings, and the Dec. 1 merging of the Hamas and Fatah governments, followed by the resolution of civilian issues in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to the deal’s deadlines, the issue of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades – Hamas’ military wing, whose disarmament Fatah demands despite the terrorist group’s refusal to even discuss the matter – should be resolved by February 2018.
The disarmament demand is considered a major obstacle to the reconciliation, as Hamas has stated it will never agree to compromise the position or capabilities of its military wing.
Also, according to Israeli officials, the Palestinian Authority is not exactly motivated to pursue unity efforts. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was reportedly pressured into the negotiations by Egypt, and his associates say he does not believe Hamas genuinely seeks rapprochement as, despite allowances given to Fatah in the deal, Hamas will remain the de facto ruler in Gaza.
Still, since the Palestinian factions signed the reconciliation deal two weeks ago, Hamas has lived up to its part of the agreement while the Palestinian Authority is the one dragging its feet.
Gaza is suffering from an energy crisis that worsened when Abbas decided to penalize Hamas by cutting electricity payments to Israel.
Israel supplies only 30% of Gaza’s power needs, or some 125 megawatts, for which the PA has been paying 40 million shekels ($11 million) a month. As part of the pressure applied on Hamas, Abbas announced in June that the PA was prepared to pay only half that sun, spelling a significant decrease in the strip’s power supply, which effectively reduced it to 4.5 hours of electricity a day.
Despite the Cairo-brokered deal, the Palestinian Authority has yet to resume electricity payments in full and is also refusing to fund Gazans’ medical care.
Hamas is concerned by the situation, especially as winter approaches and the strip’s dilapidated infrastructure is at risk of collapse. Infrastructure challenges are likely to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and lead to the outbreak of disease, making the situation in the enclave intolerable.
Israeli sources said that if the Palestinian Authority continues to draw out its compliance with the deal – and given that the current humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than it was before the 2014 war with Israel – it may lead to unrest in Gaza, which in turn could prompt Hamas to resort to the tried-and-true method of uniting Gazans against Israel and provoking a security escalation.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank have resumed full security collaboration with Israel, suspended in July over the Temple Mount crisis.
Israeli and Palestinian sources said the coming days will pose a significant test for the Palestinian reconciliation agreement. Many believe that despite Egypt’s efforts, the fate of the Fatah-Hamas rapprochement has already been sealed.
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