By Xinhua
Ramallah : A leading member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement on Wednesday called for reconciliation with rival Hamas movement “to protect the Palestinian cause.”
Qadoura Fares, a Fatah leader in the West Bank, said the internal political rift between Fatah and Hamas must be ended to maintain the Palestinian rights and face the Israeli offensive.
“We should together think how to resume the reconstruction process and bring safety to the Palestinian people and boost their living,” Fares told reporters.
President Abbas refuses to make any contact with Hamas unless the Islamic movement ends its control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas wrestled control of the coastal enclave during fierce fighting with pro-Abbas security services in mid June 2007.
Hamas rejects Abbas’ condition and calls for unconditional dialogue with Fatah to re-establish the Hamas-led coalition government which was sacked by Abbas following the Gaza takeover.
Fares expressed his belief that history will “record a breakthrough for any side who takes the initiative to start the reconciliation and the national harmony.”