Palestinian factions sign historic "Declaration of Algiers" to heal years-long rift

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After two days of round table talks under Algerian auspices, fourteen Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Fateh, and the Islamic Jihad, signed, on Thursday in Algiers, an agreement, formally known as "The Declaration of Algiers" during a meeting chaired by the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

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The signing ceremony took place at the same hall in which the late President Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of the State of Palestine in November 1988, in the presence of the Algerian State’s top officials, members of the government, and diplomatic corps accredited to Algeria. 

The declaration was inked by senior Fatah leader Azzam Al-Ahmad, chief of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Naji.

Other Palestinian figures attended the talks aimed at discussing the proposal drawn up after months of efforts by Algeria to reach a common vision for boosting Palestinian national action, including Ahmed Majdalani, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative; and Bassam Al-Salhi, secretary-general of the Palestinian People’s Party.

“This is a historical moment,” Haniyeh said while thanking Algerian President Tabboune for his country’s efforts in sponsoring the talks.

Al-Ahmad said, “We are proud to stand in this moment, under the auspices of President Abdulmadjid Tabboune … to sign this deal and get rid of this split and cancer that has entered the Palestinian body.”

The declaration aims to resolve 15 years of discord by holding elections within a year and inaugurating a united Palestinian National Council. 

Algiers’ declaration also includes "unifying Palestinian national institutions, mobilizing the available energies and resources to implement reconstruction projects, and supporting the infrastructure for the Palestinian people in a way that protects their steadfastness in the face of the Zionist occupation."

Besides, an Algerian-Arab working group will supervise and follow up on the implementation of the terms of the agreement in cooperation with Palestinian officials.

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"It was agreed to elect the Palestinian National Council at home and abroad, using a proportional representation system with the participation of all Palestinian factions, within a maximum period of one year from the date of signing the declaration," said MP Mustafa Al-Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative.

In this vein, the Algerian President, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, affirmed that the signing of the Declaration of Algiers "is a historic day, pending the establishment of the independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds as capital."

In his speech, President Tebboune, in tears, said, “It is difficult to speak in such a situation, which comes nearly 40 years after the declaration by the mujahid and combatant, the martyr Yasser Arafat (Abu Ammar), of the establishment of the Palestinian State in the same hall and under the same roof.”

“The Palestinian State has gone through setbacks, problems, and conspiracies, but, thank God, we are witnessing today a historic day where the situation has returned to normal,” said President Tebboune.

President Tebboune congratulated the Palestinian officials and representatives of the factions “to fulfill the will of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, Al-Quds, and the Diaspora, as well as the Algerian people." 

On this occasion, President Tebboune was honored by the Palestinian factions' signatories of the "Declaration of Algiers" in recognition of his colossal efforts and pivotal role in the unification of the Palestinian ranks and the consecration of Palestinian unity. 

The participants expressed their gratitude for the efforts and the role of Algeria and President Tebboune in bringing the Palestinians together under one roof, particularly before Algiers’ Arab Summit. They hailed the constant and principled position of Algeria and its eminent role in favor of the just Palestinian cause, stressing that the conference "proves by words and deeds" that Algeria will always be a support for the Palestinian people until the establishment of their independent state.

For the head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, "this blessed initiative bodes well for the Palestinian people."

"We are satisfied with the results of this conference, marked by frankness, positive interaction, and understanding. I am pleased that this noble step has been sponsored by Algeria," he added.

Secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein Al-Sheikh tweeted, “The Palestinian national dialogue in Algeria constitutes a serious and available opportunity to unite the national ranks and protect our internal front and unity of word and deed.”

Fatah movement member, Azzam Al-Ahmad, stressed that the Algerian initiative "comes to put an end to an inter-Palestinian division of more than 15 years, which has weakened the Palestinian cause."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad said the Movement “praises the Algerian efforts to end the internal Palestinian division, adding that “the Movement is taking part in the gathering in the North African Arab state very seriously."

The member of the political office of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Merouane Abdel Aal, for his part, valued the preeminent role of Algeria, under the leadership of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in the reunification of the Palestinian ranks, as well as "Algeria's predominant role and permanent concern to follow internal Palestinian affairs, through its efforts to overcome divisions and adhere to a single objective, namely, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state."

The two days of talks followed several other meetings since Algeria launched its initiative in January to mediate between the Palestinian factions. In December 2021, President Tebboune announced that his country would host a reconciliation meeting for the Palestinian factions. To this end, he brought together, on July 5 in Algiers, on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the recovery of national sovereignty, the President of the State of Palestine, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, and the head of the political office of the Palestinian Movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in a historic meeting that took place after a coldness of several years.

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Besides, Mr. Tebboune stressed, during his periodic meeting with representatives of the national press, that Algeria “enjoys all the credibility” to be able to reconcile between the Palestinian factions, being “the only country which does not have narrow calculations in this regard."

“Without unity and unification of ranks, the independence of Palestine cannot be achieved,” said President Tebboune.

“Algeria is a big country with great impact,” Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ) Spokesperson, Daud Shehab said, adding, “This country has a historic, effective and distinctive role related to Arab issues.”

In the past few weeks, Algeria hosted representatives of Palestinian factions in separate meetings in an attempt to prepare the groundwork for the dialogue. Senior Hamas and Fatah delegations arrived in Algiers in early September to prepare for the discussions.

Palestinian observers believe that the dialogue in Algeria affords an important opportunity for the Palestinian factions to reach an agreement and find a unified Palestinian position to confront the Zionist policies.

Algiers believes that the unification of Palestinians is part of a broader plan to support them at the Arab and international levels and launch a new peace process.