The reconciliation could pave the path for Palestine to gain independence."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Government of Indonesia has welcomed the peace agreement between Hamas and Fatah, two groups in Palestine that have been at odds for the past decade.
"We positively welcome this reconciliation, as we have long encouraged this step between these two warring groups in Palestine," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi remarked at the building of the Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Friday.
According to the foreign minister, reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas will help Palestine to become a nation and an independent country.
"The reconciliation could pave the path for Palestine to gain independence," Marsudi noted.
Two Palestinian groups -- Hamas and Fatah -- have reached an agreement on political reconciliation, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement on Thursday, without elaborating on the content of the Egyptian-brokered deal.
The Hamas official stated that further details will be furnished at a press conference in Cairo, where talks were held between the two groups.
Fatah, backed by the West, lost control of Gaza during the civil war in 2007 to Hamas, which is viewed as a terrorist organization by the West and Israel.
Hamas had agreed last month to hand over its rule in Gaza to the government of Fatah-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Fatah and Hamas reached an agreement this morning during negotiations, mediated by Egypt," Haniyeh said.
Egypt helped mediate efforts to reconcile the two factions and form a unified government, with power-sharing in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamas and Fatah had agreed in 2014 to form a national reconciliation government. However, the shadow government of Hamas continues to control the Gaza Strip.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
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