Palestinian Authority (PA), Fatah and PLO President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to hold a PLO leadership meeting anywhere but in Ramallah, informed political sources told Palestinian newspaper Al-Resalah yesterday.
The source said that Hamas proposed holding the meeting in Jordan, Egypt or Kuwait, but Abbas refused.
According to the sources, contact between Hamas and Abbas was carried out through member of the Fatah Central Committee Mohamed Ishta.
“The Fatah leadership studied Hamas’s proposal and in response, it proposed that the meeting be held by video conference,” the source said.
He also noted that Abbas told Ishta to ask Hamas to send representatives to Ramallah to attend the meeting, but Hamas refused.
Hamas fears its members will be arrested by Israel if they enter the West Bank. Additionally, Hamas believes holding the meeting the West Bank violates the terms of the reconciliation agreement which stipulates that such meetings should be held in a neutral Arab state.
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