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24303
“Hamas and Fatah Hold 'Positive' Talks in Cairo”
by Arutz Sheva   
September 24th, 2014
Officials say talks in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah on reviving their unity government were taking place in a "positive atmosphere".
Fatah delegation in Cairo
Fatah delegation in Cairo
Reuters

Talks in Cairo between rival Palestinian Arab factions Hamas and Fatah on reviving their unity government were taking place in a "positive atmosphere" on Wednesday, officials said, according to AFP.

The two-day talks, which began early Wednesday, come after a joint Palestinian Arab delegation and Israel agreed to hold separate indirect talks in late October to thrash out a lasting truce in Gaza.

"There is a positive atmosphere in which the talks are being held," senior Hamas official Ezzat al-Rishq was quoted as having told journalists, as representatives of the two groups went into a fresh round of discussions after a mid-day break.

The talks will focus on "the return (of the unity government) in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of its authority without obstacles," said the head of Fatah's delegation, Azzam Al-Ahmad, according to AFP.

The rival factions set up a unity government of independents in June, but there have been multiple reports over the past several months that the unity government has been slowly crumbling.

Differences of opinion have surfaced over several issues, including the war in Gaza, reactions to the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers, and the delayed payment of wages for government workers in Gaza in the weeks leading up to Operation Protective Edge. 

But those differences turned the factions explicitly against one another after Hamas staged dozens of executions of Palestinian Arabs allegedly "collaborating with Israel" - or working for Fatah - prompting at least one Fatah official to compare Hamas to global jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

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