Palestinian factions agree to re-establish the PLO

Palestinian factions have agreed to re-establish the Palestina Liberation Organisation and have set up a committee, headed by Saleem Zanoun, to carry this through. The President of the Palestinian National Council met with other leaders in Cairo on Thursday and agreed this move. A first meeting of the committee will be held in Amman in January.

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A spokesman for Hamas told the media that the representatives at the meeting understand the need to implement what has been agreed within the specified time-frame. Fawzi Barhoum added that a proposal on the election rules of the PLO has been proposed for the factions to study and respond accordingly by 15 January, the proposed date of the first committee meeting.

Mr Barhoum said a sub-committee of four has been established to address the problems raised by some factions as well as the matter of those who are nonaligned and did not attend the Cairo meeting.

Everyone present in Cairo, said Mr Barhoum, also pointed to the intransigence of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the escalation of settlement building, the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the siege of Gaza. “These are all major issues to be tackled,” he said, “for which a common vision is essential.”