Fatah Delegation Arrives in Doha for Unity Talks with Hamas

Bethlehem, 16 Jumadil Akhir 1437/26 March 2016 (MINA) – A Fatah delegation arrived in Doha on Friday as part of efforts to form a new reconciliation agreement with rival faction Hamas, official sources said.

The delegation was said to include Fatah Central Committee members Azzam al-Ahmad and Sakhir Bseiso, both of whom are expected to meet with Hamas officials in coming days, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting Ma’an.

Since the most recent reconciliation talks in the Qatari capital last month, the sources said there had been ongoing communication between the two factions.

There is a “practical envisioning” of a resolution, the sources told Ma’an, adding that Fatah is coordinating with local and regional bodies to overcome the obstacles facing a reconciliation.

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement last month that he hoped the talks would result in the formation of a national unity government that would conduct “long-overdue” elections.

“The Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, have suffered enough. They deserve to see the West Bank and Gaza reunited under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian authority,” he said.

The relationship between Hamas and Fatah has been in a dire state since a government of national consensus was dissolved in June, one year after it was first announced.

The two Palestinian parties have been pitched against one another since Hamas won legislative elections in 2006 and became the ruling party in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Authority officials have criticized Hamas for creating a shadow government in the Gaza Strip and blocking efforts to reach political unity.

Hamas has in turn accused the PA of executing a plan to “eradicate” it from the West Bank, saying that hundreds of its members have been arrested by PA security forces. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)