Arab uprisings that overthrew Egypt’s government and inspired Palestinians to call for unity helped push Hamas and Fatah towards reconciliation, analysts said.
The regional upheaval led to the removal of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s regime, which Hamas regarded as biased, and prompted young Palestinians to take to the streets to urge both factions to overcome their differences.
Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said the deal was made possible by “a favourable climate in the Arab world, particularly in Egypt.” He said the new leadership installed after the overthrow of Mubarak “kept an equal distance from both the parties.”
The Egyptian revolt also removed intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, whom Hamas accused of favouring Fatah, while also depriving Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of a key supporter in Mr Mubarak.
Azzam al-Ahmed, who headed Fatah’s delegation in Cairo, said the “Arab spring placed pressure” on both factions to heal their rift, which had left the Palestinians with rival governments in Gaza and the West Bank.
“The people began to feel and demand their freedom,” he said. “There was real pressure by all the factions and the Palestinian youth.”
On March 15, tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza to demand the two sides work towards a unity government, and many welcomed Wednesday’s announcement of a deal.
Commentator Hani al-Masri said the political changes in Egypt and the broader Middle East created the conditions ripe for reconciliation.
“The change in Egypt and the Arab world as a whole is a major cause for the signature of the reconciliation deal in the sense that there are fewer parties able to block the deal because they are concerned with their own internal situation,” he said.
Officials said the continuing stalemate in talks with Israel also helped push the two parties back into talks that culminated in a deal.
Mahmud Zahar, a senior Hamas official and part of its delegation to Cairo, said the deal was the result of “a change in the (regional) political environment and the failure in negotiations.”
The move drew cautious praise from the EU and a UN envoy, but analysts warned it was only the first step in a long process of reconci-liation fraught with potential pitfalls.
“The signing is a very important first step but implementation is the most important thing and the most dangerous, particularly when it comes to the agenda of the government, which is supposed to be composed of professionals,” said Mr Masri.
Georges Giacaman, a political analyst and professor at Bir Zeit University, echoed Mr Masri’s caution.
“We must not forget that, so far, the deal is just on paper and all the issues and the elections are on hold for a year,” he remarked.
Among the issues likely to be put on the back burner is the divided Palestinian security establishment, with both sides currently running their own forces in their respective areas of control.
The deal calls for the establishment of a joint high security council to begin work straight away on restructuring and professionalising the security forces, but no changes will be made before elections, officials said.