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Hamas and Islamic Jihad meet in Gaza
[Ma'an] Hamas and Islamic Jihad held a meeting late Monday evening in Gaza City to discuss recent developments in Palestinian politics and the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation document. In attendance were Nafez Azzam, Muhammad Al-Hindi and Khaled Al-Hindi from Islamic Jihad and Khalil Al-Hayya, Jamal Abu Hashim and Aiman Taha representing Hamas. "This is a regular meeting between Palestinian factions to study the recent dilemmas posed in Palestinian politics," Azzam told Ma'an during an interview. Other topics on the agenda included Israeli violations and international involvement aimed at ending inter-Palestinian rivalries, notably between Hamas and Fatah. Azzam added that "we've seen Hamas' great desire to accomplish reconciliation and end division." "We've agreed on holding other meetings soon also with other factions to discuss all of this." Efforts to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry have been stonewalled, as Hamas demands that its amendments be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Fatah officials say that the reconciliation document is finalized and have accused Hamas of attempting to stay general elections by delaying the ratification of the agreement. However, Arab nations have intervened to encourage dialogue between the two Palestinian factions. On Sunday, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad As-Sabah said that a reconciliation meeting will be held within the next ten days between Abbas and Mash'al, Kuwaiti media reported. Posted by: Fred 2010-01-20 |
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