PA to seek Egypt’s aid in ending dispute with Hamas

Decision comes following Abbas's announcement that he plans to travel to Gaza Strip to discuss reconciliation efforts with Hamas.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Abbas311 reuters (photo credit: reuters)
Abbas311 reuters
(photo credit: reuters)
The Palestinian Authority has decided to seek Egypt’s help in ending the Hamas-Fatah dispute.
The decision came following PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s announcement last week that he was prepared to travel to the Gaza Strip to discuss with Hamas leaders ways of achieving reconciliation between the two sides.
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Hamas has welcomed Abbas’s declaration, also reiterating its readiness to end the dispute with Fatah.
Azzam al-Ahmed, a top Fatah official, is scheduled to visit Cairo this week for talks with Egypt’s new rulers on the issue of reconciliation with Hamas. Abbas has also decided to send a PA security delegation to the Gaza Strip to prepare for his visit, a close adviser to the PA president said over the weekend.
The official said that Abbas’s talks with Hamas leaders would focus on ending the split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and on forming a government that would consist of independent figures to prepare for new presidential and parliamentary elections.
In the context of preparations for the planned visit, Abbas instructed his aides to launch talks with Hamas political figures in the West Bank to ensure the success of the discussions with the movement’s leaders in the Gaza Strip.
The PA Minister for Civilian Affairs has also been instructed to make logistical arrangements for Abbas’s visit to the Gaza Strip, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks, Nimer Hammad, political adviser to Abbas, said.