Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas vow to ‘unite’ against Israeli annexations

Fatah Secretary General Jibril Rajoub and Hamas deputy chief Salah al-Arouri vow to “unite efforts” in fighting annexation, the two leaders say at a joint press conference today in Ramallah.

“We will support each other, because we’re in the same boat in confronting annexation,” Hamas deputy chief Salah al-Arouri says by videoconference from Beirut.

Rajoub says that the Fatah wants “to turn over a new leaf” with regard to national unity, and that the factions would talk about coordinating future actions against annexation in the West Bank.

“We are discussing unifying our common struggle on the ground,” Rajoub says.

Joint statements — let alone joint mass action — by the two main Palestinian factions have been rare since 2007, when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and expelled Fatah.

Many attempts have been made to mend the rift in Palestinian politics since then, including several rounds of talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediation, but none have been successful.

— Aaron Boxerman