Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow as west rejects Hamas role in ruling Gaza after war

Source: The Guardian

Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow as west rejects Hamas role in ruling Gaza after war

Palestinian Authority ‘ready to engage’, says prime minister ahead of talks on formation of new Gaza government

Patrick Wintour in Munich
Sun 18 Feb 2024 17.00 GMT
Last modified on Sun 18 Feb 2024 20.07 GMT

Western powers have rejected suggestions that Hamas as an entity can be allowed a role in governing Gaza at the end of the war, saying only that they recognise that Palestinian militancy will still exist.

Speculation that a weakened Hamas might be willing to form a partnership with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, and govern Gaza and the West Bank jointly, have been revived by a Russian invitation for Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow on 26 February.

The news of the meeting was confirmed by the Palestinian Authority prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, at the Munich security conference.

“We are ready to engage. If Hamas is not, then that’s a different story. We need Palestinian unity,” he said, adding that to be part of that unity, Hamas needed to meet certain prerequisites.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/18/palestinian-factions-to-meet-in-moscow-as-west-rejects-hamas-role-in-ruling-gaza-after-war