PA-Egypt relations are deteriorating, says Fatah official

A senior Fatah official said on Wednesday that relations between the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egypt are deteriorating, Felesteen newspaper has reported.According to Abdul Hamid Al-Masri, the “collapse” of the relationship follows Abbas’s refusal to respond to Egypt’s efforts on reconciliation within Fatah, as well as the reconciliation with Hamas.

According to Abdul Hamid Al-Masri, the “collapse” of the relationship follows Abbas’s refusal to respond to Egypt’s efforts on reconciliation within Fatah, as well as the reconciliation with Hamas. He revealed that as far as Cairo is concerned, Fatah’s reconciliation — by which is meant the return of disgraced Fatah official and rival of Abbas, Mohammed Dahlan — is the basic requirement for a comprehensive national agreement among the Palestinians.

Read: In refusing entry to a Fatah official, Egypt has revealed its dispute with the PA

He suggested that Cairo’s refusal to allow Fatah executive council member Jabril Al-Rajoub to enter Egypt was a result of his “negative” role in stalling the internal reconciliation sponsored by the Egyptian government. Al-Masri claimed that Al-Rajoub did not pass many of Cairo’s messages to the PA and Fatah leadership, leading the Egyptians to believe that he is “dishonest”.

Al-Rajoub, he added, is against Dahlan’s return to the movement as he sees him as a threat to his own role in Fatah.