Hamas official: Reconciliation talks ongoing

Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishiq said Monday that consultations over a reconciliation deal between Fatah and the Islamist movement were ongoing Ma'an reported


Al-Rishiq noted, however, that an agreement had not been finalized because Fatah wanted to delay arrangements for the unity government until after the Palestinian Authority had submitted the UN bid, a statement said.

The reconciliation deal signed in Cairo on May 4 set out a path for the creation of a transitional government of technocrats and an end to the animosity which has split the Palestinians into two political camps since 2007.

Prime Minister in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh had said in September that there is no "mandate for any Palestinian actor to make historic concessions on Palestinian land," effectively rejecting the UN bid for statehood.