Paving way for Palestinian unity government

Riyadh: A number of Saudi political analysts have anticipated intensive Saudi diplomacy during the Palestinian reconciliatory meeting to be held in Makkah today.

They added that the meeting will pave the way to forming a Palestinian national unity government.

In statements to Gulf News, the analysts pointed out that if the Saudi diplomacy succeeded in putting the Palestinian house in order, the Saudi leadership would be at the forefront in leading other mediations for reconciliation between rival Lebanese to come up with a Taif 2 Accord and also mediation in the complicated situation in Iraq.

They underlined that these roles by the Saudi leadership are what the Arab and Muslims people are aspiring for from the kingdom.

Ambassador Izzat Mufti, Assistant Secretary General of the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for political affairs, said that the appeal made by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for the Palestinian factions to meet in Makkah comes at the right time and meets the aspirations of the Arab and Muslim nations for enhancing unity among Palestinians.

Unified policy

He added that the appeal was received by overwhelming Islamic support. Salem Al Ghamdi, a Saudi political columnist, noted that the leaders of Fatah and Hamas should exploit the Makkah meeting to end their differences and start a genuine national dialogue to outline a unified Palestinian policy.

This policy could tackle the domestic arena or outside world and negotiations with the countries sponsoring the peace process, donor countries or the Israelis and daily challenges on the ground.

Abdullah Al Dossary, another Saudi political analyst said that what is required from the Saudi mediators is to harmonise requirements of both Hamas and Fatah, as the former has won the elections and the later is holding the presidency. He added that the Arab and Muslim worlds are looking at Saudi Arabia to play a vital role in solving the problems in the Arab and Islamic world whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan or Somalia.

Dr Abdul Aziz Al Jarallah, a Saudi writer and political analyst, said that by inviting the Palestinian leaders to meet in Makkah, King Abdullah wants to draw the attention of the Palestinians and remind them that their blood is precious.

He added that the Saudi monarch did not want the Palestinian question to lose its legitimacy and credibility in the international community and the Palestinians to retract from the achievements they have made during the intifada.

He noted that the swift intervention of King Abdullah aims to halt the damage to Arab and Palestinian integrity which Israel has been working to achieve for past 50 years.