As Trump's Initiative Advances, National Consensus Falters

The recent meeting of factions in Cairo over the past two days seems to have returned the issue of reconciliation and national consensus to square one, even at the level of agreeing on the committee that will manage the Gaza Strip. The questions that arise are whether it will be the community support committee that was agreed to be formed before the ceasefire and Trump’s initiative, the committee formed by the Palestinian Authority headed by Minister Majid Abu Ramadan, the one wanted by Washington and Tel Aviv to operate under the supervision of the Global Peace Council and Blair, or the committee that was agreed upon in the last two days and mentioned in the final statement of the factions' meeting which was not attended by Fatah, who expressed reservations about the statement.

We believe that the disagreement over the committee and its chairperson hides larger and more dangerous conflicts, and it does not warrant all this controversy because the final decision regarding its members and tasks will ultimately be in the hands of Trump, Netanyahu, and the new American ruler of the sector.

If the committee managing the sector as stipulated in Trump’s initiative will be under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority or in coordination with it, this would naturally require the approval of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority regarding the committee and its chairperson so that it does not become a competing entity against the authority and counterproductive in the Gaza Strip.

Regarding the promotion of Amjad al-Shawa for the chairmanship of the committee, he is a centrist, non-confrontational figure considered to be part of international civil society. However, it is also essential to know the members of the committee and whether he will play a role in appointing its members or if they will be imposed on him. In the latter case, regardless of his positive traits, will he be a prisoner of the majority's opinion?

Unfortunately, this disagreement over the committee, the successive decrees of the president, and indications of Hamas's continued governance in parts of the Gaza Strip with implicit American, Israeli, and some Arab parties’ approval all point to a bleak outlook for the possibility of achieving any reconciliation or national consensus and about the future of the Gaza Strip and political system, making the feasibility of reaching a two-state solution even more impossible—not this time because of American and Israeli rejection, but also due to Palestinian disagreements.