Abbas sets seven terms for Palestinian reconciliation as Cairo talks loom

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has set out seven principles for renewed reconciliation talks between Fatah, Hamas and other Palestinian factions, including a single legitimate armed force, adherence to the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the formation of a technocratic government under presidential authority.

The conditions appear in a document titled the “Palestinian-Palestinian path for Palestinian reconciliation”, according to four Palestinian factional sources familiar with it. The document has not been publicly released by the Palestinian presidency, meaning its contents rely for now on accounts from officials who said they had seen it. 

The seven principles include ending what the document describes as the consequences of Hamas’s 2007 takeover of Gaza; adhering to “one system, one law and one legitimate weapon”; recognising the PLO and its political programme as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people; committing to peaceful popular resistance; and pursuing a political settlement based on a two-state solution and international resolutions. 

The document also calls for a technocratic government appointed by Abbas to administer the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, while reserving responsibility for negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement to the PLO. 

Hamas has not publicly accepted the seven conditions. A Hamas official quoted in reporting on the proposed talks said the movement was open to dialogue based on Palestinian national interests and a genuine political partnership. 

Preparations for a new round of Palestinian dialogue have intensified in recent days, with Fatah asking Egypt to host a comprehensive meeting of the factions in Cairo. Fatah Central Committee Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub said the movement was ready to attend once Egypt fixed a date. 

Palestinian reporting indicates that Rajoub is expected to head Fatah’s delegation, with senior figures including Mohammad Shtayyeh and Majed Faraj involved in the movement’s preparations. Hamas representatives and other factional delegations are also expected to take part if the meeting proceeds. 

A central issue is likely to be the legislative election scheduled for 28 November, the first Palestinian parliamentary vote in two decades if it goes ahead. Abbas reaffirmed the date in his address to the UN General Assembly on 24 September. 

Reports from Palestinian political circles nevertheless indicate growing discussion of a postponement. Officials and factional figures have cited the situation in Gaza, Israeli restrictions in the occupied West Bank and uncertainty over whether voting will be permitted in East Jerusalem as obstacles to holding a nationwide election. Some Fatah figures have said the Cairo dialogue could include the election timetable. 

No postponement has been officially announced. On 27 September, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission said the 28 November polling date remained unchanged after Abbas extended the candidate-registration period from 12 to 18 days. Nominations are now scheduled to remain open until 13 October. Questions over the election therefore remain separate from the formal timetable: Palestinian officials are continuing preparations for the November vote while factional discussions explore whether the political and security conditions would allow it to take place across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The latest initiative follows years of unsuccessful efforts to overcome the split that began when Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Fatah and Hamas were among 14 Palestinian factions that signed the Beijing Declaration in July 2024, which called for an interim national reconciliation government and reaffirmed the PLO’s role as the Palestinian people’s representative.

The next test will be whether the proposed Cairo meetings produce agreement not only on elections, but also on the more contentious questions of governance, political authority and control of weapons.