Hamas officials have informed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas will agree to relinquish control of its weapons if it is allowed to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported on Friday.
Abbas' Fatah faction controls the PLO, and if he agrees to the Hamas proposal, the Palestinian Authority would essentially assume control over and supervise Hamas' weapons.
The fate of the terrorist group's weapons and security forces has been a sticking point in the ongoing reconciliation efforts between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.
The two factions recently signed an Egyptian-brokered power sharing agreement, more than 10 years after Hamas violently routed Fatah from the Gaza Strip and took sole control of the enclave, a move that effectively split the Palestinians into two distinct entities.
The agreement has managed to renew cooperation between the feuding factions, but failed to resolve their differences over the issue of Hamas weapons. In recent weeks, there have been reports that the agreement is unraveling.
Israel and the West have have refused to recognize the Palestinian unity government unless Hamas agrees to give up its weapons, renounce violence and accept previous agreements signed between Israel and the PA.
