Fatah rejects Egyptian and Russian initiatives to meet Palestinian factions

Fatah is reported to have rejected official invitations extended by Egypt and Russia to host Palestinian reconciliation meetings, Resala.net has reported.

According to informed sources, Egypt has proposed a meeting in Cairo for the factions, but Fatah has declined as it does not want to meet Hamas anywhere. They added that the secular group which controls the Palestinian Authority will also inform the factions that it will not attend any meetings in Moscow, under the pretext that it does not want to hold new meetings with the Islamic Resistance Movement. The Palestinian factions have all received official initiations from Russia to visit Moscow in early April.

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Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will meet with Egyptian intelligence officials to discuss the deteriorating situation, especially the PA’s cutting of its employees’ salaries in Gaza. The same sources added that the meetings will be attended by other Palestinian factions.

They explained that although Egypt has called for a meeting between Fatah, Hamas, the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine, as well as Islamic Jihad, only four factions will attend the meeting due to take place in the coming days.