Palestinian PM in 'historic visit' to Gaza

In a press conference upon his arrival, Hamdallah described the visit as a “historic moment” towards unity of the Palestinian people, Aljazeera wrote.

“We came at the orders of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to announce to the world, from the heart of Gaza that the Palestinian state cannot be without political and geographic unity between the West Bank and Gaza.

“We know that the only way to achieve our goals is through unity, and to protect the Palestinian political system,” said Hamdallah, adding that the national unity government would start to assume its administrative responsibility of the Strip.

The premier also announced that several committees have been established to handle issues such as border crossings and PA employees in the Strip.

The visit is Hamdallah’s first to Gaza in two years.

“We look forward to turning over the page of division forever, and achieving comprehensive national reconciliation that would strengthen the perseverance of our people and preserve their rights,” Iyad al-Buzom, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, said in a statement ahead of the visit.

Hamdallah will also be visiting the Shujayea neighborhood, where the Israeli army committed a massacre during the 2014 war on Gaza.

An Egyptian security delegation led by the Egyptian ambassador to Israel, Hazem Khairat, will be monitoring the reconciliation process.

After a Hamas delegation met Egyptian diplomats in Cairo late last month, the movement decided it would dissolve its administrative committee and expressed its willingness to reconcile with its rival, the Fatah political party, after a decade of division.

“Hamas’s decision to respond to Abbas’s initiative and to dissolve the administrative committee is an important step that we will build on with lots of work,” Hamdallah said at the press conference.

Hamas has been the de-facto ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007 after the party defeated President Mahmoud Abbas’ long-dominant Fatah party in parliamentary elections.

Abdulsattar Qassem, a political science professor at the an-Najah University in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, said it was “very unlikely that there will be lasting reconciliation”.

“This is all just an exercise. The PA does not believe in the legitimacy of Hamas’ arms. This means that the PA wants to end the resistance in Gaza and Hamas refuses that. And if Fatah accepts the resistance, Israel will take measures against the PA,” Qassem told Al Jazeera.

Gaza-based political analyst Waleed al-Modallal says that in the short term, people are expecting the situation to improve.

“There is an air of positivity and optimism on the street, but people are also cautiously watching. They are hopeful that this step will alleviate the difficult economic situation in Gaza, the border crossings will be open more often, the issue of PA employees will be solved, and that electricity [will] be returned,” Modallal told Al Jazeera.

The issue of Hamas’ armed resistance, he added, would not be discussed for at least a year.

“Any noble Palestinian in Gaza would not accept giving up resistance under any condition, because we are a people under occupation. The PA would not be able to protect us, and that is clear in the West Bank – Israel enters the city centers and they are not able to defend themselves.”