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GAZA – Russia has invited Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow on February 26. This was stated by the minister of the Palestinian Authority. He added that the Palestinian Authority is ready to engage with Hamas.
“Russia has invited all Palestinian factions to meet on the 26th of this month in Moscow. “We will see whether Hamas is ready to step in with us,” said Mohammad Shtayyeh at the Munich Security Conference, reported by Arab News.
“We are ready to get involved. If Hamas doesn’t do it then it’s a different story. We need Palestinian unity,” he said. He added that to be part of the union, Hamas needs to fulfill certain prerequisites.
Established as part of the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) that raised hopes of a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority has seen its legitimacy continually undermined by Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
Many Palestinians now view the PLO as corrupt, undemocratic and unapproachable.
The Islamist Islamist group Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip for 17 years after expelling security forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority from the territory. Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked Israel’s war against the group in Gaza.
Western countries and some Arab states have made it clear that they want to see the revitalized Palestinian Authority – led by President Mahmoud Abbas since 2005 – take power in Gaza once the conflict is over, and unify its rule with the West Bank.
“Palestine is ready. We have institutions and capabilities, but our serious problem is that we are under occupation,” Shtayyeh said. “We are under Israeli occupation and we want to end it.”
