Abbas bans issuing statements on reconciliation

CAIRO – 29 November 2017: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decision to ban releasing statements that tackle national reconciliation and hinder its achievement on Wednesday. He stated that this decision is to preserve the Palestinian interest and the relations with the Egyptian brothers, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

In late October, a delegation from the National Palestinian Government, headed by the director of the Border Crossings Authority, Nazmi Mehanna, arrived in Cairo to discuss taking control of the Egypt-Gaza border crossing from Hamas.

The delegation’s visit came after the recently achieved inter-Palestinian reconciliation, which was brokered by Egypt. As per the condition, the Palestinian Authority assumed responsibility of all border crossings from November 1.

On October 3, the consensus government held its first cabinet meeting in Gaza.

Despite numerous attempts to reconcile the Palestinian split led by international and Arab efforts, only Egypt, with its historically significant position, was able to bring an end to the nightmare. Egypt managed to bring conflicting Palestinian factions together to overcome their differences, creating new conditions without the fear of exclusion.

Egypt helped the factions realize that they need to move forward, towards a partnership based on the notion that Palestine is for all Palestinians.