Palestinian Unity Efforts ‘One Incident from Falling Apart’

Despite the recent agreement reached on October 12 between the two rival Palestinian governments, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas, much work remains to be done before a united Palestinian government will come to fruition. The agreement represented an important first step in bringing the two Palestinian governments closer together, but many of the details outlined in the agreement have yet to be ironed out. Furthermore, the Palestinian people still lack a key central figure who will represent them in peace negotiations with Israel. The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel spoke with Rob Richer, Cipher Brief expert and former Associate Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA about what the deal actually accomplished as well as the prospects for Palestinian statehood.

The Cipher Brief: What were the parameters of the agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas?