Hamas and Fatah agree to stop propaganda war and end incitement

Rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas have agreed to stop the misinformation war between them and to resume implementing the terms of national reconciliation soon.

According to a statement issued after a recent national gathering by independent Palestinian figures, the leaders of both movements have agreed to stop spreading propaganda and any piece of misinformation that spoils the political atmosphere between them.

The statement described how a number of the independent figures first met with the Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, and from there they phoned Hamas chief Khalid Meshaal and the head of Fatah’s parliamentary bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmed. They all agreed to resume the implementation of the terms of national reconciliation soon.

Meanwhile, the head of the national group of independent businessman, Munib Al-Masri, met with President of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas. Both also agreed to the terms announced in the statement.

On behalf of Fatah, Al-Ahmed said that he received a phone call from the national independents affirming Hamas’s acceptance to this agreement on stopping propaganda and incitement.

Nevertheless, he also warned that: “There is still nothing new in this dossier. The one who is looking for preliminary measures for restarting the reconciliation file is not interested in ending the internal division.” He noted that the goals of reconciliation are widely known: to form a national unity government and hold national elections.