13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah meet in Gaza

PIC

[ 15/02/2010 - 09:55 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- 13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah on Sunday held a meeting described as the first of its kind for two years in the office of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the Gaza Strip to address the obstacles hindering the national reconciliation.

A Palestinian source said the factions discussed during the meeting the issue of ending the internal division in the Palestinian arena and the signing of Egypt’s reconciliation paper.

He added that in light of the positive climate that prevailed in the meeting, the participants agreed on resuming such sessions in the near future in order to help the Egyptian efforts succeed.

In a press release issued following the meeting, senior Hamas official Dr. Ismail Radwan called for taking his Movement’s observations on Egypt’s reconciliation paper into consideration in order for these efforts to succeed .

Dr. Radwan stressed that Hamas looks forward to the stage that will follow the signing of the Egyptian paper because it wants a permanent reconciliation agreement that could be implemented on the ground.

For his part, former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qabha, a prisoner in Israeli jails, said in a leaked letter that this meeting between the Palestinian factions in Gaza is an important positive step to bridge the gap between the different positions in order to reach reconciliation as well as it confirms that the inter-Palestinian dialog can take place without any external interventions.

In a press statement on Monday to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman for Hamas’s parliamentary bloc, hailed the meeting of the Palestinian factions in Gaza, saying it is an important step to break the psychological barriers and overcome the obstacles in the way of the reconciliation.

Dr. Bardawil stressed that the reconciliation is not a recipe provided by Egypt or any other Arab country, but it is internal mutual relations, expressing his optimism that such meetings could soften the severity of media campaigns and some violations committed against Hamas in the West Bank.

In another context, Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya said Sunday that his government would continue its work until new legislative and presidential elections are held and after the achievement of the national reconciliation.

During a ceremony to honor civil servants in Gaza city, Haneyya added that his government would stay the legitimate caretaker government until a new one is formed and approved by the legislative council.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian