Hamas denies any progress on Palestinian reconciliation

Hamas spokesman Ismail Ridwan yesterday denied that there had been any new developments towards reconciliation of the Palestinian factions.

“Hamas has offered too much for the sake of reconciliation and it is offering everything in order to be able to face the conspiracies against the Palestinian cause,” Ridwan said, stating that the only thing requested from Fatah is its commitment to previous deals.

However, Ridwan stressed that an Egyptian delegation is slated to arrive in the besieged Gaza Strip “soon” to further reconciliation talks, but he gave no further details, Al-Watan Voice reported. He also stated that there is ongoing contact with the Egyptian “brothers” to ease the suffering of Palestinians.

READ: Fatah claims positive developments regarding internal reconciliation

On the topic of the “deal of the century,” – the economic aspects of which were revealed this weekend ahead of tomorrow’s “Peace to Prosperity” conference in Bahraini capital Manama – Ridwan said: “We [are] evaluat[ing] the united popular Palestinian position against the deal, which necessitates the need for unity and ending division.”

He also called on Arab and Islamic countries to boycott the Manama conference, slamming it as just one chapter in a plan to “liquidate the Palestinian cause”.