The reconciliation is in the interest of Palestine’s national security

It is a well-known fact that the challenges faced by the Palestinian people require their national factions, who gathered in Cairo yesterday, to make progress in as many issues as possible. This is because the continued delay in making progress greatly harms the pillars and foundations of the Palestinian national security, which is violated on a daily basis by the Israeli occupation authorities. Such violations include the on going Judaisation of the eternal Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, expelling residents from the city, continued settlement expansion, in addition to other violations.

Achieving reconciliation at the earliest opportunity will certainly improve the political and strategic environment in which the Palestinian people and their national factions live. United, they will be able to effectively confront the Israeli threats of waging attacks or wars against the brave and legitimate resistance in the Gaza Strip. The most recent attacks were the destruction of the Khan Yunis tunnel and the attempted assassination of one of the members of the security agency in the Gaza Strip, Major General Tawfiq Abu Naim. They will also be able to confront the continued exhaustion and depletion of Palestinian capabilities in the West Bank, specifically by means of settlement expansion supported by the current US administration.

The reconciliation agreement is also expected to enhance the Palestinian national resilience by increasing the cohesion of the Palestinian people in the face of dangers and threats. It will also increase their confidence in their political leadership and in their ability to manage crises and face the on going challenges.

Confidence and trust in a leadership is one of the most important elements of national resilience, which is one of the foundations of national security in general. However, this has been shaken and has deteriorated to dangerously low levels due to the continued dreadful state of division.

Hamas: Partnership is basis of reconciliation’s success

Achieving reconciliation as soon as possible, and subsequent rallying of the Palestinian people’s military capabilities in Gaza and the political capabilities of the PLO leadership, represented by President Abu Mazen, will all enhance the “Palestinian leadership’s” capabilities of confronting the constant political pressures. The most recent pressure was the threat to close down the PLO office in Washington, in addition to regional pressures that have been repeatedly referred to recently. This especially includes President Abu Mazen’s most recent visit to Saudi Arabia. In addition to this, several major excuses used by the occupation to avoid restoring the rights of the Palestinian people will be eliminated, including the lack of a Palestinian partner and the leadership’s failure to represent all Palestinians.

Hence, we can say that the more delayed the achievement of the reconciliation is, the more harmful it is to Palestinian national security, due to the dangerous consequences it has on the Palestinian people’s interests. They have been patient despite the continued state of depletion, especially during this critical period in time, when international and regional policies are seeking to arrange the region’s future, in which the strong and united will secure a reasonable place for themselves, while the weak and divided will have no place on the map of the “New Middle East”.

This article first appeared in Arabic on the Palestinian Information Centre on 22 November 2017

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.