The Palestinian factional higher committee which includes all national and Islamic factions in the Gaza Strip have announced that a ceasefire agreement was reached between the two main factions of Fatah and Hamas.
In a press conference in the city of Gaza, the committee confirmed that both factions should be committed to the ceasefire. If there is any violation by either of the two factions, they urge Palestinians to demonstrate on the streets to protest against both factions.
Palestinian sources said that the agreement came through the mediation of the Islamic Jihad movement, along with the DFLP and PFLP.
The agreement includes 8 points:
1 – The immediate application of ceasefire.
2 - Withdrawal of armed men from the streets, and an end to all appearances of tension, and the return of security members to their centers.
3 – To stop "dirty" media campaigns and incitement
4 – To stop marches and demonstrations, leading to unrest
5 - To release all abducted and kidnapped members of each faction, held over recent incidents
6 – Calling on the joint office of the two factions to convene together, with the participation and attendance of the PFLP, the DFLP, and Islamic Jihad
7 – An immediate meeting for the [pan-factional] follow up committee to confirm this agreement
8 - The formation of an independent committee to investigate incidents, starting from the Rafah crossing incident.
PFLP Political Bureau member, Kayed Al Ghoul, said that, "the Palestinian arena is in need for such an agreement." He stressed that this "is a step on the way to restart the national dialogue." He added, "We can build on this agreement to reach the unity government with the participation of every faction."
The Hamas movement has said that the movement will be committed to the agreement, asserted spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
The Fatah movement has affirmed full commitment to the agreement, stating, "what matters is commitment to agreements not signing them."
They maintained that their commitment stems from the feeling that it is their responsibility "to confront the current regrettable events in the Palestinian arena".
Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ahmad Yousef said that, "the government is with every agreement which aims to calm the arena''
The spokesman for the Hamas bloc in the PLC, Salah Bardawil said that "this is a welcome step", while Salih Zeidan from the DFLP declared that "this is a good step towards the resumption of the national dialogue."
Zeidan said: "we are with the calming down of the tension. Internal fighting is a great loss for the Palestinian people. We want this to be the start of new dialogue to form the unity government." He also stated, "we succeeded to release some of the people abducted by the two sides, and the rest will be released soon".
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
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In a press conference in the city of Gaza, the committee confirmed that both factions should be committed to the ceasefire. If there is any violation by either of the two factions, they urge Palestinians to demonstrate on the streets to protest against both factions.
Palestinian sources said that the agreement came through the mediation of the Islamic Jihad movement, along with the DFLP and PFLP.
The agreement includes 8 points:
1 – The immediate application of ceasefire.
2 - Withdrawal of armed men from the streets, and an end to all appearances of tension, and the return of security members to their centers.
3 – To stop "dirty" media campaigns and incitement
4 – To stop marches and demonstrations, leading to unrest
5 - To release all abducted and kidnapped members of each faction, held over recent incidents
6 – Calling on the joint office of the two factions to convene together, with the participation and attendance of the PFLP, the DFLP, and Islamic Jihad
7 – An immediate meeting for the [pan-factional] follow up committee to confirm this agreement
8 - The formation of an independent committee to investigate incidents, starting from the Rafah crossing incident.
PFLP Political Bureau member, Kayed Al Ghoul, said that, "the Palestinian arena is in need for such an agreement." He stressed that this "is a step on the way to restart the national dialogue." He added, "We can build on this agreement to reach the unity government with the participation of every faction."
The Hamas movement has said that the movement will be committed to the agreement, asserted spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
The Fatah movement has affirmed full commitment to the agreement, stating, "what matters is commitment to agreements not signing them."
They maintained that their commitment stems from the feeling that it is their responsibility "to confront the current regrettable events in the Palestinian arena".
Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ahmad Yousef said that, "the government is with every agreement which aims to calm the arena''
The spokesman for the Hamas bloc in the PLC, Salah Bardawil said that "this is a welcome step", while Salih Zeidan from the DFLP declared that "this is a good step towards the resumption of the national dialogue."
Zeidan said: "we are with the calming down of the tension. Internal fighting is a great loss for the Palestinian people. We want this to be the start of new dialogue to form the unity government." He also stated, "we succeeded to release some of the people abducted by the two sides, and the rest will be released soon".
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
Please also see:
Spies, Uncontrolled Arms Plague Gaza
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1165994112099&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
Intra-Palestinian violence in Gaza endangers UN humanitarian operations
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21072&Cr=palestin&Cr1=