Russian officials this week held unofficial reconciliation talks in Moscow between Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization and the Fatah faction that leads the Palestinian Authority government from Ramallah.
Moussa Abu Marzouk represented Hamas in Moscow at the talks.
Since Sunday the two sides discussed the possibility of forming – again – a national unity government prior to elections.
On Tuesday, Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said in Arabic the two sides reached an agreement to, “within 48 hours” call on PA leader Mahmoud Abbas to launch “consultations on the creation of a [national unity] government.”
The two sides have made the same agreement several times before, and each time the “unity” falls apart when it comes to actually functioning as a unified government.
The two sides had no differences between them, however, when it came to asking Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to try to convince U.S. President-elect Donald Trump not to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“We sensed understanding on Mr. Lavrov’s part,” Ahmad said.
“It is crucial to find a new working mechanism for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he added.