Earlier in the day, the rival Palestinian movements Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization, and Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political party, reached new agreements during their reconciliation talks mediated by Cairo. According to them, the national unity government should start its work no later than December 1.
On October 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish state would not not accept any reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah without the dismantlement of the Hamas military wing and severance of connections with Iran.
Israel: HAMAS Must Disarm If Agreement With PA Is To Be Effective — Terrorism Must Stop#Israel #Hamas #PA #Abbas #Fatah #terrorism #Jihad pic.twitter.com/2zv3loRDSI
— Jerusalem News (@JerusalemNews1) 12 октября 2017 г.
The Palestinians have been seeking to create their own state on the territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for decades. The conflict between Hamas and Fatah escalated in 2007. Since then, Hamas has been governing the Gaza Strip, while Fatah maintained control of the West Bank. Over the years, repeated attempts have been made to achieve reconciliation between the two parties, but all efforts have failed so far.
