Hamas releases 6 Fatah prisoners as part of unity deal

[Jefferson23]

Hamas official says the group is expecting that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will reciprocate the move.

By Reuters | May 5, 2014

The interior ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said it freed six prisoners from rival party Fatah on Monday as part of a Palestinian unity pact the Islamist Hamas signed with Fatah two weeks ago.

The move came as Palestinian President and Fatah Leader Mahmoud Abbas met exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshal in the Qatari capital Doha, for their first talks since the groups agreed to soon form a unity government and hold elections.

Hamas security sources said the men had been serving sentences for "security offences." Fatah officials say over 40 of their members remain in Gaza jails, while Hamas puts the number at under 20.

The two parties have detained several of each other's members since Hamas won 2006 polls and the two parties fought a bloody civil war, in which Hamas seized the Gaza Strip and Fatah remained in power in the West Bank.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.589114

[Jefferson23]

1. White House: Hamas-Fatah reconciliation 'isn’t necessarily a bad thing'

The White House believes that the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas “isn’t necessarily a bad thing” and could ultimately strengthen the hand of President Mahmoud Abbas to reach a peace agreement on behalf of the entire Palestinian people.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.587869

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.586924

[Scootaloo]

2. Of course it's not a bad thing

Not for Palestine, and not for the US; it strengthens the Palestinian government by removing one of the biggest sources of instability. It pulls Hamas a little closer to a reasonable position while at the same time putting Fatah's focus closer to the people of Palestine, rather than the bank accounts of Ramallah.

It's bad for Israel because Israel desires an isolated, weak, fractitious Palestine. it's easier to knock such an entity over, after all. And as the State Department seems to finally be lerning, Israel and the US don't have identical interests in the region; not by a long shot.

[azurnoir]

3. A "eureka" moment for the State dept

actually I giggled a bit when I read the headline

we'll see how this goes