BICOM

The Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas is set to hold a rally marking the forty eighth anniversary of its founding in a major square in Hamas-controlled Gaza City on Friday. The decision follows discussions yesterday between Hamas’ prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh and senior Fatah Central Council member Nabil Sha’ath.

The two Palestinian factions have been fierce rivals since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in 2007 and PA security forces have routinely arrested Hamas activists in the West Bank in recent years. However, there appeared to be signs of a move towards reconciliation between the two sides, particularly when last month the PA permitted rallies marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of Hamas, to be held in the PA-controlled West Bank.

Hamas had initially agreed to reciprocate and allow Fatah celebrations to take place in Gaza City, but last week the arrangement was cancelled after the two sides failed to agree on a venue for the rally. However, following high-level talks yesterday between Haniyeh and Sha’ath, the event now looks  set to take place again.

Haniyeh said that Hamas security personnel will secure the rally and commented, “We hope that holding a central rally for Fatah in Gaza would pave the road for a real reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.”  Sha’ath said that Hamas representatives had been invited to attend the Fatah rally and that talks between the two sides had been “cordial and warm.”