The Palestinian Authority conducts a direct dialogue with Hamas. Palestinian source: "Sinwar not in Rafah". Jibril Rajoub carries and gives with Hamas for the Palestinian Authority.

                                By Mati Cohen                                            

A Palestinian security source told us that Yahya Sinwar is not in Rafah. It is not clear from his words whether Sinwar was in Rafah and left it, or whether he was not there at all. It is also possible that the Palestinian Authority is trying to stop Israel from entering Rafah through the leak. Since this is a very reliable source, his words are quoted here verbatim. Last week we reported that Jibril Rajoub is negotiating with Hamas, and he is using Marwan Barghouti's close ties with Hamas for this purpose. This discourse makes it clear that the alliance between Barghouti and Rajoub is getting stronger and may be part of the change in the PA and PLO after the war. On March 24, we reported here that Hamas would agree to give up declaring an end to the war, on the condition that the cease-fire would be a negotiating platform to end the war with an international guarantee. If Israel does accept the demand, the war in the south will come to a de facto end but will continue de jure.

According to the Palestinian source, this is exactly the compromise that Israel and Hamas may agree on in the coming days: the cease-fire will not be the end of the war, but at the same time the cease-fire will be an agreed platform, guaranteed by the moderate Arab states and the United States, for negotiations on ending the war and returning all the abductees, captives, and missing people.

Both sides have already agreed on all the other things, and the transition from north to south in Gaza will be as we reported here in March, through the Salah A-Din axis. After the ceasefire, and as the negotiations to end the war progress, the rest of Israel's captives and missing people in Gaza will be released, in exchange for keys that will be finally closed in the negotiations.

This agreement, if signed without Israel introducing an alternative government to Hamas in Gaza, could lead to a large-scale return of Hamas to the ruling positions in the Strip. Now, Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the Palestinian Authority's entry into Gaza, as do the fanatics in his government, who threaten to overthrow the government if the Palestinian Authority governs Gaza. The delay in bringing the Palestinian Authority into Gaza may result in Hamas demanding that the Palestinian Authority not be brought into Gaza, so that it can return to power.

It is possible that such a demand on his part has already been put on the negotiating table. Surprisingly, it is also possible that in this context there could be unanimity between the government of the fanatics in Israel, and Hamas in Gaza, in a way that would allow the organization (under one guise or another) to have a certain police presence in Gaza after the war.