On Friday, the independent figure and businessman Munib al-Masri will travel to Gaza to pave the way for Fatah-Hamas meeting in Damascus next week. Al-Masri, a Nablus billionaire and head of the independent movement to end Palestinian division, told Ma’an News that he would speak with Fatah and Hamas leaders, including Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
The philanthropist said it had not been delegated by any party to lead talks, but that the move came from motivation within the independent community in Palestine. He said he hoped next week’s discussions would yield reconciliation.
‘All factions are working to overcome the remaining obstacles,’ al-Masri reported and asked Hamas and Fatah to match the efforts made by those who support the Palestinian national project.
One of the major disagreements between Hamas and Fatah is the Egyptian Proposal, which was signed in 2009. Hamas refused to sign the paper at the time, citing a Fatah move to postpone discussion of the Goldstone report on possible war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza. Hamas officials did not sign the document after the report was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council because, they stated, Fatah needed to make some amendments to it.
Al-Masri told Ma’an he hopes that in Damascus meeting the Egyptian proposal will be ratified, ‘because for Palestinians conciliation is not an option, it is a requirement,’ he concluded.
