Hamas recognises differences with Fatah but stresses importance of unity

Senior member of Hamas’s political bureau Mousa Abu-Marzouk recognised on Tuesday that there are differences between his movement and Fatah, but he stressed the importance of unity and reaching an agreement on common interests and aims.

Abu-Marzouk stated on his Facebook page that while there are a lot of differences among the various factions and forces at this stage of the national liberation struggle, “there must be common grounds to be agreed upon and we have to excuse each other for the differences.”

He noted that there is no winner in any internal clashes within the national framework, adding that, “The main clash must be only with the occupation, not with each other.”

In a separate post he reiterated that the siege of Gaza must be lifted, admitting that the internal divisions were a factor in the restriction of the border crossing at Rafah. This point was confirmed by Fatah leader Azzam Al-Ahmad, who is in charge of the talks with Hamas.

“The Rafah Crossing is the only terminal for the Gaza Strip and the divisions played a role in its closure,” Abu-Marzouk said.

The Hamas leader reiterated that the reconciliation effort has reduced the internal tensions and directed all sides into “positivity”. He affirmed that the main targets of the upcoming government are to lift the siege, open the crossings and end the people’s suffering.