Tripartite meeting: Under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met in Ankara on Wednesday with Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau.
Prior to that, a preparatory meeting was held between the Fatah and Hamas delegations, during which the two sides discussed ways to prepare the atmosphere for the meeting of the Palestinian factions in Cairo at the end of this month. Yesterday, a Palestinian source told Israel Hayom that it was a "positive initiative. We are in direct contact, and it was agreed that there will be a meeting as part of the consultations being made for the success of the conference in Cairo at the end of the month," he said.
Following the summit, Husam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, noted that "the meeting included an in-depth discussion as part of the preparations for the conference in Egypt, and the participants agreed that there is a need to unite around the national effort in the face of the dangers lurking in the Palestinian cause, and in particular the plans of the extremist Zionist government that wants to swallow up the Palestinian lands and expand the settlements." Badran also noted that his organization stressed that "comprehensive resistance is the most effective way to fight the occupation."
From the meeting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority with Erdogan, photo: AFP
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According to sources in Ramallah quoted in Palestinian media, pressure from Turkey and Qatar paved the way for a meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and Haniyeh. The sources noted that "the situation in Gaza and the West Bank has reached the point of no return, the meetings in Ankara and Cairo are the last chance to end the schism and save what can still be saved." They claimed Hamas had approached the position of the Palestinian Authority and presented Mahmoud Abbas with its approach to ending the internal Palestinian rift.
Mahmoud Abbas is on an official political visit to Turkey, and at their meeting yesterday, Mahmoud Abbas thanked Erdogan for his support for the Palestinian cause.
Earlier this week, Israel Hayom reported that the PA chairman was examining the establishment of a unity government with Hamas, and that in the talks in Cairo there would be an effort to advance steps and understandings to advance such a move. However, it should be noted that the gaps between Fatah and Hamas are still large, and the reconciliation efforts made over the years have failed.
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