Fatah and Hamas Blame Each Other for Doha Negotiation Failure

Following the failure of negotiations between the Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas in Doha, Qatar, the two Palestinian movements have accused each other of contributing to the lack of progress in their reconciliation talks. Recently, delegations from Hamas and Fatah were sent to Qatar for negotiations, but the failure of the talks led to the cancellation of a meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 29. According to Palestinian and Arab media, Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, identified Fatah as the cause of the 'failure' of the Doha negotiations, stating that 'the full responsibility for this situation lies with Fatah.' Abu Zuhri claimed that Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas, has deviated from its previous promises regarding the Palestinian Legislative Council and resolving issues related to Palestinian government employees in Gaza. He added that Fatah wants to impose the charter of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which Hamas refuses to accept. On the other hand, Osama Qawasmi, a spokesman for Fatah, stated that the issues that arose during the recent negotiations indicated that 'Hamas is still not ready for political partnership, national reconciliation, and unity.' Qawasmi said that the Hamas delegation only wanted to discuss its financial problems with Fatah, nothing more. Nevertheless, Qawasmi stated that Fatah will continue to strive to end this division and calls on Hamas leaders for 'national unity.' The failed Doha talks were the third round of discussions for Palestinian national reconciliation, which began last Wednesday, June 26. In the spring of 2014, Hamas and Fatah reached a fundamental agreement for reconciliation, but two years later, almost none of its clauses have been implemented, except for the dissolution of the Gaza government under Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The Palestinian Authority has held sovereignty over the Gaza Strip since its establishment in the fall of 1993, but in 2007, a year after Hamas's victory in parliamentary elections, this Islamist movement ousted Fatah from power in Gaza in intense and deadly armed conflicts. For the past nine years, the dual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the West Bank has continued, and Hamas is now entering its tenth year of effective power in the strip. Ongoing disagreements between the two Palestinian movements have prevented parliamentary and presidential elections from being held in the West Bank and Gaza. The severe political tensions between the two longstanding Palestinian movements come at a time when Gaza is still struggling to rebuild the ruins from the war two years ago with the Israeli army, leaving nearly one hundred thousand homeless residents in Gaza without shelter. The West Bank has also recently witnessed violent and deadly events. In the past eight months, Palestinian youth in the West Bank, lacking hope for peace and a future, have resorted to street attacks against Israelis, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.