Fatah, Hamas pledge unity against Israeli annexations

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas pledged unity against Israel’s West Bank annexation plans in a rare joint appearence.

Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub attends a video conference deputy Hamas chief Saleh Arouri from the West Bank city of Ramallah. Picture: AFP

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas pledged unity against Israel’s West Bank annexation plans in a rare joint appearance, as signs emerged of a rift between Israel and Washington over the project.

The relationship between Fatah, which controls the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, and Islamist group Hamas — in control of the Gaza Strip — has been plagued by divisions for more than a decade.

The joint news conference on Thursday night AEST was spurred by common opposition against US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which paves the way for Israel to annex territory in the West Bank, including Jewish settlements considered illegal under international law.

“We will put in place all necessary measures to ensure national unity” in efforts against annexation, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub said in Ramallah at the news conference, also addressed by Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri by video-link from Beirut.

Mr Arouri described the conference as “an opportunity to start a new phase”. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that the event marked “a major step towards unity”, which was endorsed by “the leadership of Hamas”.

But for former PA official and Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib, the show of unity was unlikely to spark wider co-operation between the two Palestinian groups. “I doubt the annexation challenge will help these two factions to end their split and unify again. I don’t think this is going to happen,” Mr Khatib said. “They’ll agree about the significance and the importance of the annexation and the need to try to co-ordinate their efforts but I don’t think they’ll go beyond that.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s centre-right coalition government had set July 1 as the date it could begin implementing Mr Trump’s annexation proposals.

But the US plan, unveiled in January, also calls for annexations to come as part of a larger peace package, including negotiations on the creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state across roughly 70 per cent of the West Bank, with a link to Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu held off on making a potentially inflammatory annexation announcement on Wednesday. Experts say there is evidence emerging that Mr Netanyahu’s desired roadmap for moving forward is at odds with Washington’s.

Former US president Barack Obama’s envoy to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, now a fellow at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the US wanted action on the plan to be endorsed by Mr Netanyahu’s coalition partner, Defence Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz. The former military chief, due to take over as prime minister in November 2021, has raised concerns about igniting regional tensions and said annexation must wait until the coronavirus pandemic has been contained.

The Trump plan also calls for talks with the Palestinians and for Gulf Arab states to provide massive funds for a nascent Palestinian state’s economy.

“Those are all steps that are hard for Netanyahu to absorb, given what his base wants, which is a more expansive annexation, with less co-ordination with other players ... and without giving anything to the Palestinians,” Mr Shapiro said. “So I think there is tension between Netanyahu and the White House on this right now.”

Mr Shapiro also noted that development of the Trump plan was spearheaded by the President’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, who does not want annexation without the larger plan moving forward. “The Kushner view is about the whole package,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu said on Wednesday that talks with US officials were continuing.

AFP