Leaders of various Palestinian factions, including rival Fatah and Hamas movements, agreed on Monday that achieving the inter-Palestinian reconciliation and ending the rift between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is a national priority to confront the Israelis.
The factions' leaders called for overcoming the internal feuds and rejecting any external intervention in the internal Palestinian affair "in order to succeed the efforts of achieving the reconciliation."
The call was made during a rally organized by the Palestinian National Initiative movement.
Faysa Abu Shahla, a Gaza-based Fatah lawmaker, said that his movement backs achieving a Palestinian unity to succeed the Palestinian national project in confronting the Israeli occupation 's measures and establishing the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"The current Palestinian rift is another Nakba, or catastrophe, " said Abu Shahla, adding that his movement rejects the establishment of two Palestinian entities, one in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank. He called for ending the rift and preparing the atmosphere for the reconciliation.
In the meanwhile, he slammed Hamas' behavior in the Gaza Strip, mainly barring Fatah leaders and members from leaving the costal enclave.
Hamas has been ruling the territory since it seized control of it in June 2007, when it routed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces.
"Hamas' behavior in the Gaza Strip is racist. Hamas should reopen the closed offices of the central election commission in the Gaza Strip and prepare for presidential and legislative elections," said Abu Shahla.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan spoke in the rally about the obstacles that obstruct reaching a real internal reconciliation.
He added that there is a U.S. veto on the reconciliation, and called on the United States "to stop blackmailing the Palestinian people."
"We are ready to reach a reconciliation agreement on condition that we must first of all reach an understanding over the outstanding issues before we altogether head to Cairo to sign on the Egyptian draft of reconciliation," said Radwan.
Radwan also called on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to "immediately stop the absurd indirect and direct negotiations with the Israeli occupation," adding that "Israel is blackmailing the Palestinian people and the talks only provide protection for the occupation's behavior."
Mustafa al-Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative and member of the independent figure for reconciliation, said that resolving the internal Palestinian issues "is very easy if the will and the intention are available."
"The Palestinian independent figures will keep acting and moving to mediate between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements without the authorization of anybody because we can't keep silence in face of the tragedy of the rift and the internal disputes," said al-Barghouti.
Jamil Majdalawi, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), called at the rally on the Palestinians to go for peaceful protest and pressure on both Fatah and Hamas to finalize the reconciliation and unite the Palestinian people to confront Israel.
In October 2009, Egypt postponed the national dialogue until a further notice after Hamas movement refused to sign on its pact of reconciliation, claiming that there are certain reservations that need to be reconsidered before the implementation of the agreement.
Egypt and Abbas insisted that Hamas should first sign on the Egyptian pact and then its reservations would be put in consideration once the reconciliation deal is implemented.
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