Despite a number of agreements, those attempts have not yet been successful, with Hamas still exercising full control of the Gaza Strip, despite the formation of the "unity government" in June 2014.
Following the Oslo Accords, the PLO, of which Fatah still was the dominant member, formally denounced armed resistance and recognized Israel.
Under pressure of Israel and the international community, Fatah attempted to eliminate Hamas, especially after Mahmoud Abbas had succeeded Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority.
The Declaration reaffirmed the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people[12] through the participation in it of all forces and factions according to democratic principles.
On 11 September 2006, President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh reached a tentative agreement to form a government of national unity.
[13] The accord states that the government will "respect" the agreements signed by the PLO, and support plans based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
When Abbas in a speech before the UN General Assembly on 21 September claimed that the program for a new government was strictly in line with the Quartet conditions (commitment to the principles of nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap),[15][16] he drew, however, strong opposition from more radical members of Hamas.
On 8 February 2007, Fatah and Hamas sign the Fatah–Hamas Mecca Agreement, agreeing to stop the military clashes in the Gaza Strip and the formation of a national unity government.
[19] On 8 November 2008, reconciliation talks due to be held in Cairo called off after Hamas announced a boycott in protest at the detention of hundreds of its members by President Abbas's security forces.
On 7 March 2009, Salam Fayyad submits his resignation as prime minister to pave the way for the formation of a national unity government.
The document envisioned general elections to be held in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the first half of 2010, a reform of Palestinian security services under the Egyptian supervision and the release of political prisoners by both factions.
[25] On 27 April 2011, representatives of the two factions announced an agreement, mediated by Egypt, to form a joint caretaker government, with presidential and legislative elections to be held in 2012.
[27] On 4 May 2011, at a ceremony in Cairo the agreement was formally signed by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashal.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the accord "a mortal blow to peace and a big prize for terror.
[33][34][35] The United States said that it would judge the new Palestinian government by its policies and that it would have to recognize Israel, accept previous agreements with it and renounce violence.
[39] After the talks were indefinitely postponed, President Abbas focused on a bid for UN recognition for Palestinian statehood in September 2011 instead of forming a unity government.
The decision was triggered by the breakdown of the Israeli–Palestinian peace talks after Netanyahu's refusal to renew a partial freeze on settlement construction in September 2010, and also by Israel's opposition to the Fatah–Hamas deal itself.
Commenting on relations with Hamas, Abbas revealed in an interview with Al-Jazeera that "We agreed that the period of calm would be not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the West Bank," adding that "We also agreed on a peaceful popular resistance [against Israel], the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders and that the peace talks would continue if Israel halted settlement construction and accepted our conditions.
[48] In December 2012, in the aftermath of the UN status upgrade of the State of Palestine and the conflict in Gaza, calls for a unified Palestinian front have increased and the political leaders of Hamas and Fatah took several steps to reconcile their differences.
In a televised address, PA President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that talks with Hamas would immediately follow the Palestinians' bid to upgrade their status at the UN General Assembly—an effort that succeeded.
[51] On 9 January, it was announced that Khaled Mashal and Mahmoud Abbas were holding renewed reconciliation talks in Cairo led by Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.
[52] On 23 April 2014, Fatah and Hamas signed a new reconciliation agreement, which would see a unity government formed within five weeks, followed by presidential and parliamentary elections within 6 months.
The Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that world leaders should not rush to recognize the new government, calling Hamas a terrorist organisation that is committed to the destruction of Israel.
It seemed to me that the meetings did not offer convincing solutions for fundamental issues, such as the future of the [government] employees in Gaza who have not been paid since 2006 or the Rafah crossing, which is constantly being closed.
[60] The reconciliation process between Fatah and Hamas was accelerated during the Trump administration, as US support of Israeli positions made it difficult for the Palestinian Authority to take part in negotiations with Israel.
[62] In early September 2020, Abbas held a joint press conference with Hamas leaders, announcing a new dialog for unity agreement.
In February 2024, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh publicly called on Hamas to enter into unity negotiations with Fatah in order to facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza after the war.
[70] Following weeks of negotiation, Palestinian officials announced in December that Hamas and Fatah were close to agreeing to form a technocratic committee to govern the Gaza Strip after the Israel–Hamas war.