The visit to the Gaza Strip on March 25 by Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has provided a ray of hope to the overwhelming desire by Palestinians for an end to the split and a return to genuine reconciliation and national unity.
The last visit to Gaza on Oct. 9, 2014, by the Ramallah-based official on the eve of the Gaza reconstruction conference was not substantive and did not resolve the internal problems in Gaza despite the fact that it included a symbolic meeting of the Palestinian Cabinet. Nevertheless, the meeting in Gaza paved the way for a $5.4 billion international commitment to reconstruct Gaza. Since then, however, the reconstruction has been hampered by continued political squabbling by the two leading Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah.