Palestinian Territories: Hamas, Fatah Reach Reconciliation Agreement

February 19, 2016 | 16:39 GMT

Competing Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah agreed Feb. 18 to implement a reconciliation deal put together in 2014, Anadolu reported Feb. 19. Hamas announced the two groups have decided on a plan to end their rivalry, which for years has prevented the Palestinian independence movement from presenting a united front. The move is the latest in a long series of attempts to form an effective unity government. Though Hamas and Fatah reached a reconciliation deal in April 2014, the new government it created has yet to exercise any practical control over the territory. On Feb. 16, Hamas and Fatah leaders announced they would take tentative steps toward elections and, significantly, would switch out Hamas guards for Fatah members at the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border. The Feb. 18 agreement, while tentative, is a