Senior Hamas official says party in strong position for upcoming unity talks

“The war on Gaza made the world respect Palestinians’ democratic choice and doubled the popularity of Hamas,” said member of Palestinian Legislative Council for the Hamas bloc Salah Al-Bardawil on Friday.

Al-Bardawil spoke following a Hamas political in the Gazan Al-Amal neighborhood west of Khan Younis Friday. Attendees spoke on “Gaza after the war” and generally agreed that Hamas is in a better strategic position after the war to negotiate with Fatah.

Crediting the steadfastness of the Gaza factions and Hamas in particular, Al-Bardawil called the “political flirting” from the Arab world with Hamas was based on its actions during the war. The resilience of Gazans foiled what he described as an Israeli plan to “eliminate Hamas” that has been in the works for more than a year.

On the current reconciliation track committees will begin work on smoothing out obstacles in front of Palestinian unity, including the political prisoners issue as well as the task of putting together an acceptable transitional government list. The committees will start work on 10 March.

On the current prisoner swap talks, which have sidelined the issue of a long-term truce and the opening of Gaza borders, Al-Bardawil explained the Hamas demands for 1,500 Palestinian detainees. Attached to the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, he said, was the demand that the crossings be opened and a halt to the siege on Gaza implemented.

“Before the war the Egyptian government asked us to approve its [internal Palestinian reconciliation] initiative as it was and we refused,” said Al-Bardawil. He called the initial proposal a “tool to eliminate resistance,” and reminded Palestinians that it was the resistance that was steadfast and forced the Israeli army to withdraw.

Al-Bardawil lamented the Israeli decision to add the prisoner swap to the truce negotiations, noting that Hamas was ready to call a long-term truce and had given Egypt the okay for the agreement. “The Israeli occupation thwarted the Egyptian efforts and worked on embarrassing Egypt in front of the Palestinian factions and the whole world,” he added.

Because the agreement was foiled Egypt has agreed to open the Rafah crossing periodically so patients and those holding international residency documents can pass out of the Gaza Strip.

Source - Maan News Agency - Gaza City