Leaders of rival Palestinian factions began Egyptian-brokered reconciliation talks in Cairo on Monday to try to heal long-standing internal divisions, ahead of planned parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority scheduled to be held May 22.
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It would be the first Palestinian election in 15 years.
Egypt has tried in vain for 14 years to reconcile Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction and its bitter rival Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip and which seeks Israel's destruction.
Hamas is expected to hold primary elections on Feb. 10. The group's desire is to open voting stations in Gaza, east Jerusalem, parts of Judea and Samaria, and Palestinian refugee camps abroad.
In addition to Hamas and Fatah, there are thought to be around a dozen other factions represented in the Cairo talks. Among those invited was Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed terrorist group that boycotted the 1996 and 2006 elections and which, Palestinian sources said, is now considering whether to take part this year.
In Cairo, however, Egyptian and Palestinian officials told Israel Hayom that the sides were still in disagreement over the issues on the agenda, including electoral basics such as how ballot stations will be guarded and how courts will adjudicate election disputes.
There is widespread skepticism that the elections will even happen. A separate election for the presidency of the PA is slated to take place on July 31. Hamas has said it is still undecided whether it will partake in that election.
A senior PA source told Israel Hayom: "Even [senior PA official] Jibril Rajoub, who spearheaded the [Cairo talks] after persuading Abbas and senior Hamas leaders to agree in principle to hold an election, took a step back in recent days due to harsh disagreements between himself and Abbas and his advisers."
According to the source, Rajoub and other senior Fatah leaders don't want Fatah and Hamas to run on a joint ticket for the Palestinian Legislative Council, and that Israel and the US delivered messages to Ramallah recently that the participation of Hamas in the election, because it is deemed a terrorist organization, will lead to sanctions against the PA.
Many Palestinians believe the PA parliamentary election is primarily an attempt by Abbas to show his democratic credentials to the new administration of US President Joe Biden, with whom Abbas wants to reset relations after they reached a new low under former president Donald Trump.
"There are equal chances for success and failure," said Hani Al-Masri, a political analyst in Judea and Samaria, who is taking part in the talks as an independent.
There are 2.8 million eligible voters in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, and more than 80% of them have so far been registered with the Central Election Commission. Palestinian voting age is 18 years old.
The last ballot in 2006 ended in a surprise win by Hamas in its first parliamentary elections. That set up a power struggle between Hamas, with its power base in Gaza, and Fatah in the Judea and Samaria.
Last week, Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, warned Israel not to interfere in the Palestinian election, otherwise, it will interfere in Israel's own general election on March 23.
"If Israel tries interfering in the election, we will disrupt its calculations and destroy" Israel's March 23 election, Sinwar said.
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