| RAMALLAH - Egypt has handed out its vision to rival factions of Hamas and Fatah for settling their rift, Palestinian sources said yesterday.
Riyadh al-Maliki, Information Minister of the Fatah-backed government based in the West Bank , revealed the Egyptian plan saying that “the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is studying the initiative and will respond to it”.
Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, did not immediately make comments on the plan.
The plan includes a call for a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and Hamas leaders in Cairo next month.
Earlier, the two movements confirmed their participation in the meeting which will be the first official talks between the two factions in months.
Egypt works to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Fatah to end political split between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the West Bank where the Fatah-dominated PNA rules.
In 2007, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force after routing pro-Abbas forces.
The Egyptian plan calls for the formation of a “government of national understanding,” restoring the previous political situation in Gaza and handling the consequences of Hamas’ violent takeover of the coastal Gaza Strip.
It also envisions holding presidential and parliamentary elections with timetables and mechanisms for the reform of security services in the two Palestinian territories.
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