Fatah: Intra-Palestinian talks in Turkey 'fruitful'

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A top member of Palestinian Fatah on Thursday said that ongoing talks in Turkey with its longtime rival Hamas are "positive, fruitful, and productive."

"The dialogue is an important step towards reconciliation and partnership, and unifying the Palestinian stance in the light of the consensus on rejecting all the liquidation projects against the Palestinian cause." Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, wrote on Twitter.

Separately, Munir al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's information office, told Anadolu Agency that a senior Fatah delegation will head to the Qatari capital Doha and then to Cairo, Egypt.

Al-Jaghoub added that the delegation will discuss several topics with the leadership of both countries, including Palestinian reconciliation, the recent normalization deals by Gulf states and Israel, and other political developments.

Last week, Fatah and Hamas started talks in Istanbul.

Hamas and Fatah have remained bitter rivals since 2007, when the former wrested the Gaza Strip from the latter after days of street fighting.

The UAE and Bahrain recently signed controversial agreements to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, amid strong condemnations from the Palestinians, who called the pacts a betrayal of their cause.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara