Palestinian groups reach reconciliation deal to end years-long division

Palestinian resistance groups and factions in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip have reached an agreement in the Algerian capital as part of efforts aimed at resolving their years-long differences.

The agreement came on Thursday under an Algerian-brokered initiative for reconciliation among 14 groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.

Mustafa Barghouti, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative political party, said the Palestinian groups agreed to sign the Algerian Declaration and inaugurate a united Palestinian National Council after two days of round table talks under the auspices of the Algerian government.

"After long discussions, it was agreed on a statement that will be issued as the Algerian document for national reconciliation," Barghouti said.

"It was agreed to elect the Palestinian National Council at home and abroad, using a proportional representation system with the participation of all Palestinian factions, within a maximum period of one year from the date of signing the declaration."

The declaration, Barghouti said, also ensured that the factions could hold general presidential and legislative elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including the occupied al-Quds, within a maximum period of one year from the date of signing the declaration.

Media reports said the declaration would include "unifying Palestinian national institutions, mobilizing the available energies and resources to implement reconstruction projects, and supporting the infrastructure and social for the Palestinian people in a way that protects their steadfastness in the face of the Israeli occupation."

An Algerian-Arab working group was said to have been tasked with supervising and following up on the implementation of the terms of the agreement in cooperation with Palestinian officials.

Algeria’s presidency said in a statement that the declaration would serve as a solid ground for achieving the national unity between all the Palestinian factions.

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Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, welcomed the agreement and said the talks had a positive atmosphere, expressing his deep appreciation for the initiative Algeria launched to heal the rift between Palestinians.

“We are satisfied with Algeria’s meetings and the positive atmosphere that dominated the talks between us,” Haniyeh said on Thursday.

Haniyeh lauded the Algerian team that supervised the dialog between the Palestinian factions for its patience and keenness on not imposing any vision from any side on the talks.

Since January, Algeria has launched several initiatives to mediate a Palestinian national reconciliation, hosting dozens of key political leaders from the different factions to agree on a common goal.

The Palestinian leadership has been divided between Fatah and Hamas since 2006, when the latter scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has ever since been running the coastal enclave, while Fatah has been based in the autonomous parts the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Previous reconciliation attempts by the two sides to form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank had failed.

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