
 Eight  Palestinian Authority factions meeting in Syria have rejected peace talks with  Israel based on the “two-state solution,” according to Kuwaiti media. Among the  factions were Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The groups called on the  Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the umbrella group that created the  PA, to immediately stop talks with Israel. The PA has agreed to indirect talks  with Israel, via United States mediators.
The eight factions slammed US  negotiators, and accused special U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell of seeking  to buy time for Israel to implement its own plans.
While the PA is  currently run by Fatah, which supports negotiations, Hamas swept the PA  parliamentary elections in 2006 and continues to enjoy significant support in  Judea and Samaria as well as Gaza. Fatah won only 45 out of 132 seats in the  2006 elections.
Islamic Jihad has a policy of boycotting elections in the  Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has called to postpone new PA elections due  to the Hamas-Fatah split, which has left Hamas in charge of Gaza and Fatah in  control of Judea and Samaria. However, Fatah officials have announced that  elections will be held in the course of 2010 with or without Hamas  approval.