Rival Palestinian factions unite against US 'deal of century'
Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials attended an emergency Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah to discuss how to respond to the US administration's peace plan, and another meeting is planned this week in the Gaza Strip.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — US President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" quickly created a sort of peace in the Middle East, but not the kind he had in mind.
The US proposal, officially unveiled Jan. 28, immediately brought together rival Palestinian factions united in their utter rejection of the deal. That same day, representatives of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements participated, for the first time in years, in an emergency Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah.
The Palestinian presidency invited the two movements to attend the meeting, ending — at least temporarily — a yearslong state of rupture between Hamas leaders and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The presidential initiative paved the way for resumption of long-stalled reconciliation dialogue. The last meeting between the Hamas leadership and Abbas was held in Qatar in October 2016 to discuss an end to division, forming a government of national unity and holding general elections. However, attempts to achieve unity since the meeting failed.
