The Mecca Agreement

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Country/entity: Palestine
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: The Mecca Agreement
Date: 8 Feb 2007
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Hamas-Fatah Conflict (2006 - )
In 2006, Palestine held its first round of local legislative elections wherein the long-standing incumbent, Fatah, was defeated by the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Hamas. As the largest faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), Fatah’s leadership was put under pressure by the international community, who perceived Hamas as a possible threat to the Arab-Israeli peace process. As such, Fatah refused to join in the grand coalition with Hamas, and President Mahmoud Abbas began to increase his power through presidential decrees. Inside the Hamas strong-hold of Gaza, politicians on both sides were assassinated and within both Gaza and the West Bank, both sides were increasing the size and capabilities of their respective armed wings. The Presidential Guard of Mahmoud Abbas received funding, arms and training from the U.S and Israel during this time. Tensions rose further, as President Abbas called for new elections to be held in late-2006. These did not occur, and the date was shifted to mid-2007. Skirmishes broke out occasionally. On July 10, 2007, sustained clashes continued and escalated and by the end of July 15, Hamas had consolidated its military control over the Gaza Strip.

Since then several agreements have been signed between the two sides pledging two form a unity government including the 2007 Mecca Agreements; 2008 Yemeni Initiative; 2010 Cairo Agreement; April 2011 Cairo Agreement; 2012 Doha Agreement; May 2012 Cairo Accord and the 2014 Gaza Agreement.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Palestine, Intra-Palestian agreements
Parties: Fatah and Hamas
Third parties: King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz
Description: Short agreement mediated by Saudi Arabia between Fatah and Hamas in an attempt to unify the parties under the leadership of the PLO and further the Palestinian cause.

Agreement document: PS_070208_Hamas-Fatah_Mecca_Agreement.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: Groups→Refugees/displaced persons→Rhetorical
Page 1, We gladly announce this agreement to the Palestinian masses and to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all our friends in the world. We stress our commitment to this agreement in text and spirit so that we can devote our time to achieve our national goals and get rid of the occupation and regain our rights and devote work to the main dossiers, mainly Jerusalem, refugees, Al-Aqsa mosque, prisoners and detainees and to confront the (West Bank separation) wall and settlements.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): Page 1, First: to ban the shedding of Palestinian blood and to take all measures and arrangements to prevent the shedding of Palestinian blood and to stress the importance of national unity as the basis for national steadfastness and confronting the occupation and to achieve the legitimate national goals of the Palestinian people and adopt the language of dialogue as the sole basis for solving political disagreements in the Palestinian arena.

Page 1, Second: Final agreement to form a Palestinian national unity government according to a detailed agreement ratified by both sides and to start on an urgent basis to take the constitutional measures to form this government.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: Page 1, We gladly announce this agreement to the Palestinian masses and to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all our friends in the world. We stress our commitment to this agreement in text and spirit so that we can devote our time to achieve our national goals and get rid of the occupation and regain our rights and devote work to the main dossiers, mainly Jerusalem, refugees, Al-Aqsa mosque, prisoners and detainees and to confront the (West Bank separation) wall and settlements.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: Land, property and environment→Land reform/rights→Other land rights
Page 1, We gladly announce this agreement to the Palestinian masses and to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all our friends in the world. We stress our commitment to this agreement in text and spirit so that we can devote our time to achieve our national goals and get rid of the occupation and regain our rights and devote work to the main dossiers, mainly Jerusalem, refugees, Al-Aqsa mosque, prisoners and detainees and to confront the (West Bank separation) wall and settlements.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: Land, property and environment→Cultural heritage→Tangible
Page 1, We gladly announce this agreement to the Palestinian masses and to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all our friends in the world. We stress our commitment to this agreement in text and spirit so that we can devote our time to achieve our national goals and get rid of the occupation and regain our rights and devote work to the main dossiers, mainly Jerusalem, refugees, Al-Aqsa mosque, prisoners and detainees and to confront the (West Bank separation) wall and settlements.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1, Within this context, we offer gratitude to the brothers in Egypt and the Egyptian security delegation in Gaza who exerted tremendous efforts to calm conditions in Gaza Strip in the past period.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Al Akhabar English Archive
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/Mecca%20Agreement%20%28Feb.%202007%29.pdf

Mecca Agreement (Feb. 2007)

Based on the generous initiative announced by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and under the sponsorship of his majesty, Fatah and Hamas Movements held in the period February 6-8, 2007 in Holy Mecca the dialogues of Palestinian conciliation and agreement and these dialogues, thanks to God, ended with success and an agreement was reached on the following:

First:

to ban the shedding of Palestinian blood and to take all measures and arrangements to prevent the shedding of Palestinian blood and to stress the importance of national unity as the basis for national steadfastness and confronting the occupation

and to achieve the legitimate national goals of the Palestinian people and adopt the language of dialogue as the sole basis for solving political disagreements in the Palestinian arena.

Within this context, we offer gratitude to the brothers in Egypt and the Egyptian security delegation in Gaza who exerted tremendous efforts to calm conditions in Gaza Strip in the past period.

Second:

Final agreement to form a Palestinian national unity government according to a detailed agreement ratified by both sides and to start on an urgent basis to take the constitutional measures to form this government.

Third:

to move ahead in measures to activate and reform the Palestine Liberation Organization and accelerate the work of the preparatory committee based on the Cairo and Damascus Understandings.

It has been agreed also on detailed steps between both sides on this issue.

Fourth:

to stress on the principle of political partnership on the basis of the effective laws in the PNA and on the basis of political pluralism according to an agreement ratified between both parties.

We gladly announce this agreement to the Palestinian masses and to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all our friends in the world.

We stress our commitment to this agreement in text and spirit so that we can devote our time to achieve our national goals and get rid of the occupation and regain our rights and devote work to the main dossiers, mainly Jerusalem, refugees, Al-Aqsa mosque, prisoners and detainees and to confront the (West Bank separation) wall and settlements.