By Xinhua,
Gaza : Leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad movement met in Gaza city on Sunday to unite their position about an Egyptian plan for settling a crisis between the warring Palestinian factions.
“This meeting is part of continued meetings between the two movements to arrange their attitudes,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a leader from Islamic Hamas movement.
The Egyptian plan intends to make reconciliation between Hamas and the secular Fatah movement, led by moderate president Mahmoud Abbas. For this regard, Egypt will host an inter-Palestinian dialogue next month.
“We discussed the Egyptian draft for the dialogue,” al-Hayya added.
Earlier, Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, said that one of Hamas’ reservations on the Egyptian plan involved the issue of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Zahar said Hamas will not recognize the PLO as the solo representative of the Palestinian people unless Hamas and Islamic Jihad join the organization.
Hamas has reservations on the plan which calls for forming a new unity government, reforming security services and holding early elections.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, which won elections in 2006, rejects any proposal that passes over the results of the elections and it stresses that the reform of the security services must involve the Hamas-run forces in Gaza Strip and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian National Authority (PNA) forces in the West Bank.
The Palestinian rift has been widened since 2007 after Hamas drove out pro-Abbas forces and took over Gaza Strip by force.