Islam Times - PLO delegation to head to Gaza for reconciliation meetings

Islam Times - A delegation from the PLO will visit the Gaza Strip within the next two days for meetings to discuss reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, a member of the delegation said.

Bassam al-Salhi told Ma'an that the visit to Gaza is part of an effort to implement reconciliation agreements reached with Hamas in 2012.

Achieving reconciliation with Hamas will lead to an improvement in Gaza-Egypt relations, al-Salhi said.

The division between Fatah and Hamas began in 2006, when Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections.

In the following year, clashes erupted between Fatah and Hamas, leaving Hamas in control of the Strip and Fatah in control of parts of the occupied West Bank.

The groups have made failed attempts at national reconciliation for years, most recently in 2012, when they signed two agreements -- one in Cairo and a subsequent one in Doha -- which have as of yet been entirely unimplemented.