Major Palestinian factions, including the militant Hamas, have agreed to oversee how the Palestinian Authority uses land left behind as Israeli settlers and soldiers leave the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.Palestinian security forces took up positions around the settlements on Monday to help safeguard them as the Israelis depart. But aside from celebratory banners and prayers, Palestinians showed few signs of excitement about the drama consuming Israelis. The withdrawal will not result in tangible change for Palestinians until the Israeli Army demolishes the settlements and its own posts, which may take weeks.For Gazans, a day much like any other means a day with instances of the lawlessness that has become a fact of life here.The new agreement, by giving Hamas more of a stake in managing the land, reduces the chances that it will do anything to disrupt the withdrawal, Palestinian officials said.‘‘I think Hamas can claim they have exacted what they need,’’ said Ziad Abu-Amr, a Palestinian legislator who helped negotiate the deal. ‘‘This agreement is a good way out for everyone.’’Following its usual practice, Hamas appeared to be keeping its options open—cooperating with the Palestinian Authority while preserving the ability to criticise it. A Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, while saying that Hamas wanted the withdrawal to proceed quietly, emphasised that the group was not entirely happy with the agreement.‘‘The objective of our participation is to guarantee that there will be no abuse of the public land,’’ Abu Zuhri said, ‘‘and the mechanism of this committee does not ensure this completely.’’The factions, which are competing for credit for prompting the Israeli withdrawal, also have an eye on impending legislative elections. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has announced that elections would be held January 21. The new committee is to have 10 members: A leader of each of the seven major factions and three independent politicians.The Palestinian Authority says that roughly 5 per cent of the settlement land will revert to the original Palestinian owners. Hamas is presenting itself as a watchdog. ‘‘This land should not be used by factions or individuals or officials of the P.A.,’’ Abu Zuhri said. —NYT
