By Xinhua,
Gaza : Hamas on Monday said it was still preparing the answers to several questions that Egypt sent to the Palestinian factions as part of its mediation efforts to launch inter-Palestinian dialogue.
“We are ready for dialogue and Egypt sent the invitations as questions and we are answering these questions we hope that Egypt will sponsor the dialogue to reach a national Palestinian reconciliation,” said Ahmed Yousef, an advisor to deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya.
Some of the factions, like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have already clarified their stance in letters they sent to the Egyptian mediators.
Yousef said the Egyptian efforts to launch the dialogue could take some time, expecting that the dialogue may start after Muslim’s holy month of Ramadan which starts early next month.
Yousef admitted that the recent tension between his Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah has hindered the Egyptian bid
“Our Egyptian brothers were preparing to host all the parties despite the beach incident which increased the tension between Hamas and Fatah,” he said.
Last month, a beachside blast in Gaza City on a car belonging to Hamas militants killed a girl and five Hamas members.
Gaza ruler Hamas accused Fatah of being implicated in the explosion and launched a crackdown against the movement in Gaza, while Fatah responded by arresting Hamas members and supporters in the West Bank.
The latest Gaza crackdown was the toughest since June 2007 when Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and ousted Fatah after a week-long deadly infighting.
Fatah is now dominant in the West Bank and Hamas tightens its grip on Gaza with nearly full political discord between the two major wings in the Palestinian territories.