Hamas says ready to resume Palestinian unity talks

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian group Hamas on Sunday signaled readiness to resume talks for healing the inter-Palestinian rift.

Five Palestinian factions on Saturday called for the resumption of inter-Palestinian dialogue with a view to cementing the Palestinian national unity.

“We reiterate our readiness to continue dialogue to restore unity and rebuild Palestinian national institutions based on partnership,” leading Hamas member Husam Badran said in a statement.

Last week, Hamas said that the inter-Palestinian dialogue has stalled due to the resumption of security coordination between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel.

Last month, the PA announced the resumption of security coordination with Tel Aviv after months of hiatus.

Hamas and rival group Fatah have remained at odds since the former seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah in mid-2007 after several days of fighting.

Representatives from the two movements held talks on Nov. 16-17 in Cairo in hopes of accomplishing Palestinian unity. But, nothing positive came from the meetings.

In September, the two groups also met in Turkey, and agreed to hold legislative and presidential elections.

Fatah, however, said last month that disagreements remain with Hamas regarding the proposed dates for the polls.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report