Ramallah - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday held talks with a Hamas delegation to discuss ways to end rift and enhance Palestinian unity. During the meeting, Hamdallah urged the Hamas movement, that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, to accept the initiative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for achieving Palestinian unity, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Abbas' initiative includes a call on Hamas to end the division, dissolve the Hamas administrative committee that is ruling the Gaza Strip, and enable the national consensus government to freely work in Gaza to relieve the suffering of Gaza residents. These measures will lead to holding presidential and legislative elections in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamdallah said the Palestinian people "should be united in facing the Israeli aggression against them and their holy places." Since the renewed violence between Palestinians and Israel in mid-July over Israel's moves to impose stricter control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, there have been calls for Palestinian unity to deal with Israel's challenges. The Hamas movement has been ruling the Gaza Strip as its de facto government since its takeover of the coastal enclave in 2007 from the rule of Palestinian National Authority. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas already met with a Hamas delegation in Ramallah on Aug. 1 to discuss ways to achieve Palestinian unity in the wake of violent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians over the dispute on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
