AMMAN: The top Palestinian negotiator expressed caution Friday after hopes were raised over the possible reunification of Gaza and the West Bank.
A statement issued on Thursday by Middle East Quartet envoys from the US, Russia, EU and UN welcomed efforts to “create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza.”
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator and secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), cautioned against being optimistic that this signals the end of the plight of Gaza residents.
“It is too early to say that the Israeli strategy of separating Gaza from the West Bank has failed,” he told Arab News. Erekat is at present in Washington awaiting lung-transplant surgery.
Hopes were raised after the statement was given prominence on the websites of the US Department of State and US Consulate in Jerusalem.
The high-profile statement, which caught many by surprise, praised Egypt and urged the parties “to take concrete steps to reunite Gaza and the West Bank under the legitimate Palestinian Authority.”
The quartet argued that such progress “will facilitate lifting the closures of the crossings, while addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns, and unlock international support for Gaza’s growth, stability, and prosperity, which is critical for efforts to reach lasting peace.”
Benaz Batrawi, a Palestinian media training consultant, who is from Gaza but lives in Ramallah, told Arab News that the potential of a reunification of Gaza and the West Bank would have positive reverberations throughout the territories.
“For agricultural products, the exchange would be great for both sides; for tourism West Bankers would love to go to the Gaza beaches, and Gazans would love to visit Nablus and Bethlehem. In addition, students from Gaza are eager to attend West Bank universities,” Batrawi said.
Batrawi also noted that small businesses in Gaza could see trade boosted by selling goods in the West Bank. “The unity could help relieve the catastrophic unemployment crisis in Gaza,” Batrawi said.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in its monthly reports on the ability of Gazans to receive medical treatment outside Gaza, recently said that five cancer patients died while awaiting security permits to travel for treatment.