Hamas, Fatah meet in Turkey for reconciliation talks

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Representatives from rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah are set to meet in Turkey on Tuesday for talks on accelerating inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

Hamas leading figure Khalil Al-Hayya said Tuesday’s talks aim at implementing the outcomes of an earlier meeting between the general secretaries of the two rival factions that took place in Ramallah and Beirut earlier this month.

“Hamas is keen on achieving national unity in the hope of reaching a comprehensive national strategy to face the challenges and plots that target the Palestinian cause,” he said in a statement.

During their meeting on Sept. 3, Hamas and Fatah agreed on a host of issues, including healing their rift and upholding the principle of peaceful transfer of power through elections based on proportional representation.

Fatah spokesman Mounir Al-Jaghoub earlier tweeted that his group’s delegation will meet with Hamas representatives to discuss ending the Palestinian division and the application of outcomes of the Sept. 3 meeting.

On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during which he asked for Erdogan’s help in the ongoing talks for healing the inter-Palestinian rift, according to the official Wafa news agency.

Tuesday’s talks come days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed US-brokered agreements to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

*Ibrahim Mukhtar contributed to this report from Ankara