Leaders of Palestinian factions on Tuesday prepared for talks in Mecca, which are seen as a last chance to avoid civil war. Hopes are high that the meeting between Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal and President Mahmoud Abbas will lead to a unity government and stop internal fighting in Gaza Strip.
Delegations from Fatah and Hamas arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and separately met their host King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz in Jeddah before holding preliminary talks together. On Wednesday morning they will be joined by other senior officials and move to a royal site in Mecca to start the much awaited talks.
King Abdullah issued a statement asking the Palestinian leaders to "respond to the voice of reason" and avoid a civil war that would put decades of gains in the struggle with Israel at risk, Saudi media said. "I hope that the Palestinian brothers hear your demand, and that they will not leave the sacred land without a commitment before God to stop fighting and bloodshed," the king said, according to the AP.
On his part, Hamas leader and Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh told reporters that his Hamas delegation was determined to reach agreement. "Nobody wants the battling to continue," he said after crossing into Egypt. "The only beneficiary is Israel."
