❗️Palestinian factions agree to national dialogue ahead of November elections

Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas have agreed to hold a “national dialogue” ahead of legislative elections scheduled for November, while a source told AFP on Thursday that they are seeking to delay the vote.

“At the kind invitation of the Arab Republic of Egypt ... a meeting was held with our brothers in Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front” on Wednesday, Jibril Rajoub, secretary general of Fatah’s central committee and head of its national dialogue delegation, told AFP.

“Next week, a dialogue will take place. It will continue and evolve into a comprehensive national dialogue to reach common ground on political issues regarding a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967.”

A source who participated in the meeting confirmed to AFP that “the four factions agreed on the necessity and importance of holding a comprehensive national dialogue session involving all factions and forces.”

The source said that “an agreement was reached to submit a recommendation to president Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee to postpone the elections, in order to allow time for national dialogue and Palestinian consensus.”