Power sharing between Hamas and Fatah good for both

Over more than seven years of internal division, Hamas movement has been reluctant to make reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party in fear it would loose power in the Gaza Strip, the coastal enclave that it seized control in 2007. On April 23, Hamas and Abbas's top delegation signed in Gaza an agreement to start immediate implementation of the reconciliation agreements reached in Cairo in 2011 and in Qatar in 2012. Analysts said that due to the pressure of losing strong ties with its allies in Iran, Syria and the Muslim Brothers in Egypt, and the pressure on Turkey and Qatar to stop backing the movement, Hamas had no other choice but to join reconciliation to rescue itself and gain back popularity. Another heavy pressure imposed on Hamas was cutting sources of money and weapons, when the Egyptian army destroyed hundreds of smuggling tunnels underneath the borders between Egypt and Gaza, after the ouster of Egypt's Islamic President Mohamed Morsi last July. According to the deal, both sides agreed to form a six-month transitional technocrat unity government, chaired by Abbas within five weeks, to prepare for the general elections in early 2014. Musa Abu Marzooq, a prominent Hamas leader, who followed up implementing the agreements in Gaza, said that the unity government will be technocrat, transitional and will have specific missions, without any ministers from Hamas nor Fatah. "The new government will have six basic missions to carry out within six months: preparing for general elections, running the daily life in Gaza and the West Bank, reconstructing Gaza, ending the siege, achieving social reconciliation and improving public freedoms," Abu Marzooq told reporters. HAMAS WON'T RULE GAZA ALONE Both Hamas and Fatah officials asserted that the new transitional technocrat unity government, headed by President Abbas, will see the light in less than two weeks, which means that Hamas movement won't rule the Gaza Strip alone as it did since the summer of 2007. Mukhemer Abu Se'da, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua, "Certainly, when a unity government is formed, Hamas won't be the only power that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas accepted reconciliation because the only choice remained is to keep what the rest of power it has in hand." "Hamas leaders want to work hard during the next six months, outside the official frame of a government or a power, in order to fix the damages after the Muslim brothers' collapse in Egypt and gain back its reputation," said Abu Se'da. However, Hamas, which dominates the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the Palestinian National Authority will temporarily keep in power for six months until the presidential and parliamentary elections are held. Hamas won the 2006 parliamentary elections and ousted its rival Fatah Party. In 2007, it had violently seized control of the Gaza Strip. This time Hamas will certainly join the parliamentary elections, but still it is unclear if it will join the presidential elections or back another candidate. "I believe Hamas will loose power only in ruling Gaza as a government, but it will remain in the PLC and will keep its control on security apparatuses," said Abu Se'da, adding that " this will help the movement get out of its crisis resulting from Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip." POWER SHARING For Hamas, sharing power with Abbas and his Fatah Party serves its interests and much better than keeping the lone power in Gaza. "Power sharing between Hamas and Fatah is good for both rivals. It will exempt Hamas from paying the salaries of 40,000 of its employees in Gaza, will lead to open the crossing points and end Hamas isolation," said Hani Habib, a Gaza-based political analyst. Hani Habib further said that Abbas and Fatah also have an interest to go for reconciliation, mainly after the failure of the direct peace talks with Israel, adding that "Abbas wants to unite the Palestinian territories under his command to make it easy for establishing the future Palestinian state." Hamas still refuses to recognize Israel, but observers said that if Abbas will be the Prime Minister of the unity government, Hamas will be pragmatic, where the new government will accept the world's requirements. Samer Anabtawi, a political analyst from the West Bank city of Nablus told Xinhua that following the political developments and confusions that occurred in the region over the past four years, the Palestinians are now in need to overcome their differences and create a new political situation. "Reconciliation for both Hamas and Abbas is a lifeline. Each side has to make concessions to gain back the popularity they lost during seven years of division, even if this concession includes loosing part of the power of each group," said Anabtawi.