After three days of talks in Moscow, the main Palestinian parties, Fatah, Hamas, and others on Tuesday evening announced deal to form a national unity government ahead of the upcoming municipal elections, after three days of talks in Moscow.

“We have reached an agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on (Palestinian leader) Mahmoud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government” of national unity, senior Fatah official Azzam Ahmad told a press conference.

After the government is formed, the Palestinians would set up a national council, which would include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections. “Today the conditions for (such an initiative) are better than ever,” he added.

The division between the Palestinian parties began in 2006, when the Hamas movement won the elections in the Gaza strip and was ousted by Fatah.

The non-official Russian-mediated talks in Moscow began Sunday with the goal of restoring “the unity of the Palestinian people.” Representatives from Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions were present at the meetings over the weekend.

The last time the Palestinians staged elections in which both Hamas and Fatah took part was in 2006, after which Hamas won and formed a government.

In 2016, the Palestinian government postponed the first municipal elections in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in 10 years after the Supreme Court ruled they should be held only in the Fatah-run West Bank. </s> Leading Palestinian movements, Hamas and Fatah, have agreed to form a new unity government following extensive negotiations in Moscow, Russia.

The unity deal was announced late Tuesday, three days after the talks began under the Russian auspices among representatives from Ramallah-based Fatah as well as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both headquartered in the Gaza Strip, and other factions.

Russia has been working towards conflict resolution in the region as part of the Middle East Peace Quartet, also comprising the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

Abbas, who leads Fatah, will be carrying out the consultations in his capacity as the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, also described a unity government as “the most effective tool” to address divisions among Palestinian groups, adding that “it is responsible to promote the solutions, including the holding of free and democratic elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”

The official noted that an agreement between Fatah and Hamas to achieve Palestinian unity is not considered a compromise by any means. The concept of unity, among all factions, is a win for all sides, rather than a loss, he said, adding, "Everybody will win.”

Fatah and Hamas have been at odds ever since the latter scored a landslide victory in Palestinian elections in 2006. Hamas governs the Gaza Strip, while Fatah has set up offices in the West Bank.

The factions agreed in April 2014 to end their grievances and reconcile. The move drew the Israeli officials’ ire, and the Tel Aviv regime consequently responded by suspending the so-called peace talks with the PA.

Following the agreement, the two sides formed a unity government, which Fatah unilaterally dissolved in June 2015, claiming it was “weak,” and that Hamas would not “allow it to work in Gaza.”

In line with the new arrangements, the Palestinian sides involved in the Moscow talks, including Islamic Jihad, will now join institutions under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and form a new Palestinian National Council.

The new council will select the PLO Executive Committee, the top political and diplomatic Palestinian body.

In another development on Monday, the Palestinian diplomats met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asking Moscow to help dissuade US President-elect Donald Trump from fulfilling his campaign pledge to move Washington’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

“We sensed understanding on the part of Mr. Lavrov,” Ahmad said following the meeting.

Prior to the talks in the Russian capital, the Palestinian Authority had also asked Russia to intervene to stop the potential relocation of the US embassy in Israel.

The unity deal comes at a critical juncture amid growing international pressure on Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israeli paper Haaretz quoted a Fatah official present at the Moscow talks as saying that “the unity government is of strategic importance for the Palestinians” given the recent peace conference in Paris, the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2334 criticizing the settlements as well as Trump’s election. </s> The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority has agreed to form a unity government with rival organisation Hamas, Al Jazeera has learned.

The agreement was reached late on Tuesday after a three-day negotiation in the Russian capital, Moscow.

The two organisations will form a new National Council, which will include Palestinians in exile and hold elections.

"Today the conditions for [such an initiative] are better than ever," Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior Fatah official, said.

The deal also includes the Islamic Jihad group, which had not been involved in negotiations for a long time.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas have been at loggerheads since the latter seized Gaza in a near civil war in 2007, after it won the 2006 legislative elections.

Last year the Palestinian government postponed the first municipal polls in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in 10 years after the high court ruled they should be held only in the Fatah-run West Bank.

The last time the Palestinians staged elections in which both Hamas and Fatah took part was in 2006.

The Palestinian representatives also met on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and asked him to dissuade incoming US President Donald Trump from carrying out a campaign pledge to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

'Russian approach'

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Khaled Elgindy, a senior Brookings Institute fellow and former adviser on peace negotiations, said it is still not clear how different the latest agreement is to previous deals.

Elgindy said the "most important factor" prompting the unity agreement is the leadership change in Washington DC.

"President Abbas may be looking to shore up his domestic position, and to insulate himself from what he sees maybe as a very hostile administration coming into Washington," he said.

Al Jazeera's Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Moscow, said the agreement in Russia signals the Palestinians "looking away" from the United States, which has been involved in the peace process for decades.

"Historically, peace discussions have been dominated by the US. They are looking for a different approach, and Russia certainly offered a different approach," she said.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian leader who is close to Hamas leadership told Al Jazeera that "things are far from clear or final yet".

"In principle, all of the Palestinian factions have agreed to form a national unity government, including Hamas, and to establish a new Palestinian National Council. But Abbas has yet to make a decision that will take concrete steps in that direction.”

"Abbas will also have to consider the position of the regional Arab powers who might cast a veto on the whole thing because of their animosity toward Hamas."

With reporting from Al Jazeera's Ali Younes. Follow him on Twitter @Ali_reports </s> Agreement reached after three days of talks in Moscow paving the way for the formation of a new National Council.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority has agreed to form a unity government with rival organisation Hamas, MWC News has learned.

The agreement was reached late on Tuesday after a three-day negotiation in the Russian capital, Moscow.

The two organisations will form a new National Council, which will include Palestinians in exile and hold elections.

"Today the conditions for [such an initiative] are better than ever," Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior Fatah official, said.

The deal also includes the Islamic Jihad group, which had not been involved in negotiations for a long time.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas have been at loggerheads since the latter seized Gaza in a near civil war in 2007, after it won the 2006 legislative elections.

Last year the Palestinian government postponed the first municipal polls in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in 10 years after the high court ruled they should be held only in the Fatah-run West Bank.

The last time the Palestinians staged elections in which both Hamas and Fatah took part was in 2006.

The Palestinian representatives also met on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and asked him to dissuade incoming US President Donald Trump from carrying out a campaign pledge to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In an interview, Khaled Elgindy, a senior Brookings Institute fellow and former adviser on peace negotiations, said it is still not clear how different the latest agreement is to previous deals.

Elgindy said the "most important factor" prompting the unity agreement is the leadership change in Washington DC.

"President Abbas may be looking to shore up his domestic position, and to insulate himself from what he sees maybe as a very hostile administration coming into Washington," he said.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian leader who is close to Hamas leadership said that "things are far from clear or final yet".

"In principle, all of the Palestinian factions have agreed to form a national unity government, including Hamas, and to establish a new Palestinian National Council. But Abbas has yet to make a decision that will take concrete steps in that direction.”

"Abbas will also have to consider the position of the regional Arab powers who might cast a veto on the whole thing because of their animosity toward Hamas." </s> Moscow: The main Palestinian parties on Tuesday announced a deal to form a national unity government prior to the holding of elections, after three days of reconciliation talks in Moscow.

"We have reached agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on (Palestinian leader) Mahmoud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government" of national unity, senior Fatah official Azzam Al Ahmad told a press conference, speaking in Arabic.

After the government is formed, the Palestinians would set up a national council, which would include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections.

"Today the conditions for (such an initiative) are better than ever," said Al Ahmad.

The non-official talks in Moscow began on Sunday under Russian auspices with the goal of restoring "the unity of the Palestinian people." Representatives came from Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions.

Abbas's secular party Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since the latter seized Gaza in a near civil war in 2007.

Last year, the Palestinian government postponed the first municipal polls in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in 10 years after the high court ruled they should be held only in the Fatah-run West Bank.

The last time the Palestinians staged elections in which both Hamas and Fatah took part was in 2006.

The Palestinian representatives also met on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and asked him to dissuade incoming US president Donald Trump from carrying out a campaign pledge to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem.

"We sensed understanding on the part of Mr Lavrov," said Al Ahmad.

Al Ahmad and Moussa Abu Marzouk of Hamas spoke derisively of the Quartet — the United States, Russia, the EU and UN — in its years-long effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The Quartet’s work completely failed. It was unable to advance the decisions taken by the international community, including (UN) resolutions," said Al Ahmad.

"It is imperative to find a new working mechanism for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.

Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said he no longer wanted to work with the Quartet but instead with countries and organisations on an individual basis.

"Russia can play a substantial role" in the region, he said. </s> Hamas, which governs Gaza, says it is ready to begin talks with the Abbas administration to dissolve its administrative committee and hold an election as part of a deal brokered by Egypt. A Fatah official called the statement "positive and promising."In a statement posted on its website,As a step aimed at achieving national unity, the group, considered terrorist by Israel and some other states, has "invited the reconciliation government to come to the Gaza Strip to exercise its functions and carry out its duties," the statement says.The statement was greeted as a "positive" development by the deputy head of the ruling Fatah movement, Mahmoud Al-Alul."The news that Hamas is dissolving the so-called administrative committee in the Gaza Strip is positive and promising," he told the Voice of Palestine radio station.On Monday, Hamas announced it wanted to "hold meetings with Fatah in Cairo immediately" to achieve a reconciliation agreement, the Jerusalem Post noted in their report. On Wednesday, Fatah saidFatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad told official PA radio.Hamas and Fatah delegations have been in Cairo since Friday to negotiate an agreement proposed by the militant Palestinian faction which has controlled Gaza for a decade.when Hamas seized power in Gaza while the West Bank territories fell under Fatah's control. Since then, all attempts to reconcile the two groups and form a Palestinian power-sharing government have stalled.Hamas and Fatah had previously signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo in 2011. The agreement was meant to have paved the way for legislative and presidential elections, but it stalled because of disagreements over who the prime minister would be. In February 2012, the sides signed the Doha agreement where they agreed on a joint political platform and on a truce with Israel. That process also fizzled out, this time over the issue of a joint elections scheme.In May 2012, Hamas and Fatah signed the Cairo accord reaffirming their commitment to a new unity government and agreed to begin work on holding elections. That, however, did not take hold either, and the process practically hit a two-year roadblock.In April 2014, the two factions signed yet another reconciliation agreement, vowing to see a unity government formed within five weeks. They also promised to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within 6 months.However,Netanyahu also slapped new sanctions on the Palestinians.The work of the Palestinian unity government was, as a result, severely impeded, and forced Hamas and Fatah to meet in Cairo in September 2014, where they agreed on the tasks and responsibilities of any new government. Elections initially planned for the end of 2014 have been put off indefinitely. Meanwhile, peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority collapsed in April 2014.emphasizing that Palestinian unity is necessary in order to have meaningful discussions with Israel on a two-state solution. "We are trying to reconcile those who live and work in the Gaza Strip with those in the West Bank and Mahmoud Abbas' administration," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted earlier this month during a three-day visit to the Middle East."We are in contact with Hamas and Fatah to get them to resume implementation of the agreements reached not long ago, to unite under the single roof of the Ramallah administration and to hold general presidential and parliamentary elections." </s> The governing bodies of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have agreed to bury their differences to form a unity government in order to finally hold delayed elections.

The secular Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, and Islamist militant group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, will form a new National Council including the Palestinian diaspora to hold elections.

“We have reached agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government” Fatah spokesperson Azzam al-Ahmad told media after three days of reconciliation talks in the Russian capital of Moscow concluded on Tuesday.

“Today the conditions for [the idea] are better than ever,” Mr Ahmad added.

Relations between Fatah and Hamas have been tense since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip a decade ago.

The first elections since 2007 were due to be held in 2016, but were delayed multiple times after legal complaints filed by various political actors and a high court ruling found elections could only be held in the West Bank.

The non-official Russian brokered talks also involved representatives from the Shia Islamic Jihad militant group, which has not been present at political talks in years.

While in Moscow, Palestinian representatives also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asking him to pressure US President-Elect Donald Trump into reneging on a campaign promise to move the US Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The holy city is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital. East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War in a move which is not recognised by the international community.

Citing the failure of the Madrid Quartet of the US, EU, UN and Russia to progress towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, spokesperson Ahmad Marzouk of Hamas said it is “imperative to find a new working mechanism” for any future peace talks.

Hamas wants to transition to working with individual organisations and countries in future, he said, adding “Russia can play a substantial role” in the region in future. </s> Fatah and Hamas, the main Palestinian parties have announced that a deal to form a national unity government, prior to holding the elections, has been reached after three days of reconciliation talks in Moscow.

 

 "We have reached agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on [Palestinian leader] Mahmoud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government," of national unity, said senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad speaking at a press conference.

 

 After the government is formed, Palestinians would set up a national council, which would also include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections. "Today the conditions for [such an initiative] were better than ever," said Ahmad.

 

 The unofficial talks mediated by Russia began in Moscow on Sunday, with the goal of restoring "unity of the Palestinian people." Representatives from Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other notable factions attended the meeting.

 

 Abbas' secular Fatah and the Islamist Hamas have been at loggerheads since the latter seized control of the Gaza Strip, in a near civil war back in 2007.

 

 Last year, the Palestinian government postponed its first municipal polls in the occupied West Bank and Gaza in 10 years, after the High Court ruled that they should be held only in the Fatah-run West Bank. The last time the Palestinians went to the polls in which both Hamas and Fatah took part, was in 2006.

 

 Fatah has been deeply divided from Hamas with multiple reconciliation attempts having failed. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has called repeatedly for taking steps to end the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

 

 The Palestinian representatives also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday and asked him to dissuade the incoming U.S. president Donald Trump from carrying out a campaign pledge to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 

 "We sensed understanding on the part of Mr. Lavrov," said Ahmad.

 

 Azzam al-Ahmad Ahmad and Moussa Abu Marzouk of Hamas had spoken derisively of the Quartet, a group involving the U.S., Russia, the EU and U.N., in its years-long effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

 "The Quartet's work completely failed. It was unable to advance the decisions taken by the international community, including [U.N.] resolutions," said Ahmad.

 

 "It is imperative to find a new working mechanism for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.

 

 Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said he no longer wanted to work with the Quartet but instead with countries and organizations on an individual basis. "Russia can play a substantial role," in the region, he said. </s> FILE PHOTO: Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah attends a meeting as the head of Hamas-run security forces in Gaza, Tawfiq Abu Naeem, speaks at Hamas-run Ministry of Interior in Gaza City December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah has tendered his resignation and that of his unity government to President Mahmoud Abbas, he said on Tuesday, dealing a blow to faltering reconciliation efforts with Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas.

Abbas said in a statement that he accepted the resignation and that the government will “continue its duties until the new government is formed.”

A Hamas official condemned the move as an attempt to marginalize and exclude the group from Palestinian politics.

Hamdallah, a little-known academic, headed the national unity government formed in 2014 and led the West Bank-based Fatah’s reconciliation efforts with Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007.

The two groups signed a reconciliation deal two years ago which set in motion a plan for Abbas’s Palestinian Authority to resume governing in Gaza and take control of the coastal enclave’s crossing points into Egypt and Israel.

But disputes over power-sharing and policy toward Israel have hampered the deal’s implementation.

“The president will begin consultation to form a political government made up by factions of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) that will prepare for the holding of new parliamentary election,” Abbas said.
The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority agrees to form a unity government with Hamas following a three-day delegation in Moscow.