On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh discussed ending the internal schism and moving forward with internal reconciliation.
They discussed the outcomes of a meeting held in Egypt at the end of July, when leaders of Palestinian factions agreed to form a committee to promote dialogue, work to end division, and achieve national unity, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
According to a Hamas statement, Abbas and Haniyeh agreed on the importance of forming the committee as soon as possible.
“The agreed-upon committee will discuss all files so that it can present the outcomes of its discussions before the next meeting of the secretaries-general (of Palestinian factions),” the statement said.
The two leaders stressed the need to move forward to bring the Palestinian people closer and achieve internal unity “to strengthen the common national stance to confront the current challenges,” it added.
The internal Palestinian separation began in 2007, when Hamas assumed control of the Gaza Strip, which is home to over 2 million people.
