Ready for talks with Hamas with a view to the unity and governance of Gaza in the post-war era, the Palestinian Authority declares through the mouth of the Prime Minister, Mohammad Staiyeh.

Western powers have rejected suggestions that Hamas as an entity could have a role in governing Gaza at the end of the war.

Speculation that a weakened Hamas may be willing to form a partnership with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and rule Gaza and the West Bank jointly has been fueled by a Russian invitation to the Palestinian entities to meet in Moscow on February 26.

The news of the meeting was confirmed by the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority at the Munich Security Conference.

“We are ready to get involved. If it’s not Hamas, then that’s a different story. We need Palestinian unity,” he said, adding that to be part of that unity, Hamas would have to fulfill certain conditions.

However, French officials said they did not want Hamas in its current form to be given a role in governing Palestine after the October 7 attacks. Officials, however, acknowledge that her ideas could not be eradicated.

Hamas, if it attends the Moscow talks, would like the discussion to focus on reviving a committee of Palestinian groups as a step towards rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and forming a technocratic government until conditions allow for elections.

He would also like to see the current president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, resign.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, when it ousted the Palestinian Authority after it won elections the previous year, and unlike the PA it does not believe in a two-state solution, as that would require recognizing Israel. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank recognizes Israel.

Although Western powers are at loggerheads with Russia over many issues, many Western officials do not believe Moscow is playing a deterrent role in Gaza. The issue is made more complex by various Arab states having different views on the future of Hamas. Qatar, for example, believes that Hamas will survive in some form and that its existence cannot be disputed.

But Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Hamas “does not have the acceptance of the majority of the Palestinian people,” including recognition of Israel.

He added that “there also needs to be accountability for why Hamas was authorized for Gaza and why it was funded in Gaza to reinforce the division between Hamas and the rest of the mainstream of the remaining peaceful Palestinian entities, whether it be the Palestinian Authority , the Palestine Liberation Organization or public opinion”.

The Palestinian Authority, created as part of the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the PLO, has seen its legitimacy steadily undermined by Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

When asked whether Hamas’ inclusion in the broader PLO platform would alienate international partners, Staiyeh said Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian political arena. “For Hamas to be a member of the PLO, there must be conditions that Hamas must accept, the political platform of the PLO, an understanding on the issue of resistance, and that we call for popular resistance and nothing else.” he said.

The fact that Hamas would have to recognize the PLO platform would force it to recognize Israel.

The Palestinian prime minister said that “they must come on our political agenda. Our ground is very clear. Two states on the border of 1967, by peaceful means. The Palestinians must be under one umbrella.”