Palestinian Islamic Jihad discusses relations between Egypt and Hamas in Cairo

For the third day in a row, a delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement is holding talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo on a number of issues, most notably the elimination of tension between Egypt and Hamas. The closure of the Rafah border crossing is also on the agenda.

The delegation includes Islamic Jihad’s Secretary-General, Ramadan Shallah, and his deputy Ziyad Al-Nakhalah. They arrived in Cairo on Saturday in order to discuss ways to strengthen Egyptian-Palestinian relations.

In a telephone interview with Anadolu on Monday, the movement’s leader, Khaled El-Batsh, said that four main issues are under discussion: Egyptian-Palestinian relations; the siege and its effects, not least with respect to the closure of the border crossing at Rafah; Egypt’s efforts as a sponsor of the Palestinian reconciliation talks; and the designation of Hamas as a “terrorist” group by an Egyptian judge.

El-Batsh revealed that the delegation has already met with the head of the General Intelligence Agency in Egypt, Major General Khaled Fawzi, and senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk. It was also scheduled to meet the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Shaikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb.

The Islamic Jihad official explained that the atmosphere of these meetings has been “positive” so far and that they hope to reach a positive conclusion to all of the issues in question. El-Batsh stressed that his delegation will work hard to restore unity and ease the tension. It plans to speak with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as well as the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Meshaal.

When asked about Egypt’s listing of Hamas as a “terrorist organisation”, El-Batsh said that it harms “historic” Egyptian-Palestinian relations and the blood of the martyrs. “The Palestinian factions,” he stressed, “including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, are keen on the preservation of the security, stability and safety of Egyptian territory, and maintain a policy of non-interference in its internal affairs.”

The relationship between Hamas and Egypt has been strained ever since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July 2013. Hamas was accused by Egyptian media close to the coup government of being involved in terrorist attacks and bombings targeting Sinai. The movement denies such allegations vehemently.

Egypt is regarded as the main sponsor of the ceasefire negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis as well as the Palestinian reconciliation process. Cairo also hosted last October’s international Gaza reconstruction conference.

Nevertheless, the Egyptian authorities have tightened security along the border with the Gaza Strip, destroying the smuggling tunnels once described as Gaza’s “lifeline” by journalists. The main Rafah crossing has been more or less closed to all traffic, with the exception of occasional humanitarian cases.