Hamas leadership in Damascus has decided to participate in meetings with rival Fatah movement today and tomorrow in Cairo, sources within Hamas were quoted as saying by Al Hayat newspaper on Tuesday. All factions are set to be part of the national dialogue Thursday and to work in the five committees that were formed in November to tackle specific issues.
This is part of ongoing efforts toward national reconciliation, specifically between Fatah and Hamas. The sources told the Arabic newspaper that new setbacks arose when Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority of attempting to thwart reconciliation through the recent arrest of 80 of its members in the West Bank. Another setback came after the parties failed to uphold their agreement to stop negative media campaigns.
Depite these ongoing tensions, Hamas decided to participate in the Cairo dialogue after a series of meetings in Damascus. Senior Hamas leaders met with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh who held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during which the two stressed the need for "concerted efforts by everyone within the Palestinian arena to overcome the differences."
According to the report, the Yemeni President said that the current atmosphere can "no longer tolerate any differences or divisions within the Arab and Palestinian ranks." Sources quoted Yemeni President Abdullah Saleh as emphasizing the need "for reconciliation before the Doha Summit" in order to avoid division among the Arab ranks.
