Proponents of peace in the Middle East are genuinely worried over the stalemate in the ongoing unity talks between the Palestinian factions in Cairo.

After a weeklong parley, the Palestinian parties failed to agree on the composition and obligations of a unity government. This impasse seems to be the result of the varying positions of the main protagonists, Hamas and Fateh.

According to a media statement by Nabil Shaath, a Fateh official, the difficulties arise because of decisions concerning the kind of commitment the government ought to give to gain international acceptance and the composition of the future government - will it comprise organisations’ representatives or independents?

Meanwhile, the committees constituted earlier wrapped up their work on March 14 and submitted their report to a steering committee for arbitration. Media reports indicate that agreement, if reached, will be announced on March 22.

The Hamas stance still seems to be veiled in secrecy. On the one hand, the Hamas leadership recently denounced the rocket fire on Israel, on the other, some Hamas leaders are reluctant to come openly in support of unity efforts with Fateh.

The silver lining came in the form of Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum’s statement that negotiators in Cairo recently narrowed the choice of government to either one that would be decided by a cross-faction arrangement or one that would reflect the size of blocs in parliament. The latter condition may be unacceptable to Fateh because Hamas enjoys a majority in parliament and is expected to perform better at the ballot because of the prevailing sympathy in Gaza.

The crux of the issue lies in Hamas’ reluctance to abide by commitments made by the Fateh-led government and to recognise Israel. Now the ball is in Hamas’ court and political prudence dictates that it should not miss the opportunity.

Of good augur is the emphasis attached to Palestinian unity efforts by the Arab leaders. The recently concluded four-nation mini-Arab summit in the Saudi capital saw serious diplomatic initiatives to involve Syria in peace efforts and to minimise the Iranian influence on Hamas.

The ongoing reconciliation process involving Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria augurs well for the Arab world in general and the Palestinians in particular. Syria’s good offices can be utilised to impress upon Hamas the dire need to forge unity, which is indispensable for Gaza’s reconstruction and for establishing Hamas’ peace credentials.

Concomitantly, it is a golden opportunity for Israel to respond positively and constructively to the peace overtures from its Arab neighbours.

The Saudi leadership announced after the Riyadh summit that it intended to give a new thrust to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel recognition from all Arab countries in return for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders and respect for the inalienable right of return of the Palestinian refugees.

These developments show that the present stalemate is temporary and will soon be over, paving the way for unity among the Palestinians.