Palestinians celebrate in Gaza after agreement

Gazans rejoiced in the streets to celebrate a Hamas-Fatah power-sharing deal they hope will avert civil war, but Palestinian officials preached patience today, saying implementing the agreement would be a challenge.

However, the deal received a muted response from American and European officials, who said it was too early to decide whether to lift the crippling international sanctions on the Hamas-led government.

The rivalry between Hamas and Fatah began when Hamas won parliamentary elections last year and formed a Cabinet, splitting power with president Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. paralysed

The friction between the two groups paralysed the government and eventually exploded into fighting that killed more than 130 Palestinians.

The two sides have tried unsuccessfully for months to reach a deal amid the violence, and the successful conclusion of an agreement in Saudi Arabia yesterday sparked elation among people in Gaza.

“We have left behind all those black days forever and started a new page on a new government and a new way in Palestine,” Abbas said.

Celebratory gunfire rang out in Gaza City and fireworks lit up the sky. Some drivers flew both green Hamas flags and yellow Fatah banners from their cars.

“For four or five days we’ve been holding our breath. God willing, this is a permanent agreement, not a temporary truce,” said Mahmoud Qassam, 27, a fish vendor in Gaza City.

“We hope this will lead to lifting the siege,” a reference to the economic sanctions.

The West has demanded that Hamas recognise Israel’s right to exist, accept past peace agreements with the Jewish state and renounce violence in order to escape the sanctions.

Hamas has refused those demands. The coalition government platform agreed to yesterday says only that the new government pledges to “respect” previous deals, instead of “committing to” them, as Abbas initially demanded.

It makes no reference to recognising Israel or renouncing violence, and it remains unclear whether the US and Israel will be ready to deal with the new coalition.

US and Israeli acceptance is crucial to the deal’s success. Unless they are convinced Hamas has sufficiently moderated, the West is unlikely to lift the sanctions, and it will be difficult to advance the peace process.

In Washington, the State Department issued a cautious statement that avoided judgment on reports of a deal, saying officials had not yet seen details of either the composition or the political program for the new government.

“In terms of what the outcome of those discussions look like and whether they meet the Quartet principles, I think we’ll just have to see,” State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin reiterated the international community’s conditions, but did not make clear whether the deal would satisfy Israel.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett today welcomed the “ongoing efforts to end the violence” but said Britain would “need to study these proposals carefully and discuss them with our European and other partners.”

EU officials said experts would look at the accord to see whether it met the international demands.