2020 Palestinian reconciliation agreement

The 2020 Palestinian reconciliation agreement is an agreement signed by Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad as part of the reconciliation process between the two factions in a conflict that started in the aftermath of the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and included the 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza.

Background

Alarmed by the agreements between Israel, UAE and Bahrain arrived at in 2020, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and the Hamas government in Gaza decided to affect reconciliation in order to bolster the Palestinian position internationally.^[1]

Agreement

The agreement was announced on Sept. 24, 2020 and provided for holding new elections within six months, first for the Palestinian Legislative Council, then for Palestinian Presidency and later for Fatah Central Committee.^[2]

Aftermath

Following the conclusion of the reconciliation agreement, it was decided to hold legislative elections in the Palestinian Authority in May 2021. However, in April 2021, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed elections without setting a new date, reportedly due to fear the Israeli government will not allow voting in East Jerusalem.^[3] Failure to carry out the reconciliation agreement led to a new round of negotiations, leading to the 2022 Palestinian reconciliation agreement.

References

[1] Abbas meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad terror heads, says he won’t engage with US plan

[2] Fatah, Hamas say they’ve agreed to hold Palestinian elections in coming months

[3] Palestinian elections: Abbas postpones rare polls

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