Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah plan to meet in Cairo after the Eid al-Adha feast, which starts on 6 November, a Fatah official said Tuesday. The meeting will discuss an Egypt-sponsored plan to end the division between all Palestinian political factions, said Fatah secretary Amin Maqbol. Saleh Zidan, a political bureau member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said Palestinians have contacted Egyptian intelligence officials to discuss ways to proceed with the lagging Palestinian reconciliation process. All sides have agreed to resume the process in two phases, Zidan said. In the first phase, Egyptian officials will met with Fatah and Hamas leaders, Zidan said. In the second phase, Egyptian officials will meet separately with all Palestinian factions. The process will conclude with a broader meeting of all groups involved in the agreement. In May, Fatah and Hamas signed an Egypt-brokered reconciliation deal in Cairo to end a four-year split. But both groups disagreed on how to implement the agreement's terms despite several meetings addressing the issue. The factions held their latest meeting on 13 September in Beirut. Fatah insists on designating current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as the head of the anticipated Palestinian unity government, a condition Hamas rejects. Translated from the Arabic Edition
