PLO delegation arrives in Gaza for talks with Hamas

Talks focusing on possibility of establishing a Palestinian unity government, holding new elections and reconstructing the PLO, Fatah and Hamas officials said.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinians wave PLO flags (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians wave PLO flags
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A senior PLO delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for talks with Hamas leaders on ways of achieving Palestinian reconciliation.
The delegation, which consists of leaders of several Palestinian factions, entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing.
The delegation includes Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmed, Bassam al-Salhi, secretary- general of the Palestinian People’s Party, Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian Initiative, Jamil Shehadeh, secretary- general of the Palestinian Arab Front and businessman Munib al-Masri.
Hamas spokesman Ehab al-Ghissin welcomed the visiting delegation, saying they would later meet with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, arrived in the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Monday to participate in the discussions to end the Fatah- Hamas dispute.
The talks are focusing on the possibility of establishing a Palestinian unity government, holding new presidential and parliamentary elections and reconstructing the PLO, Fatah and Hamas officials said.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered outside Haniyeh’s home late Tuesday to demand that the two rival parties reach an agreement to end their differences.
Haniyeh and al-Ahmed said that the time has come to end the dispute and achieve Palestinian unity.
They said that the discussions would focus on ways of implementing previous reconciliation agreements reached between the two sides.