GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian archrivals Fatah and Hamas have something new to argue about.
The factions appeared, briefly, to be moving closer to one another, united in their rejection of US President Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan, dubbed the "deal of the century." But even their common condemnation of the plan that was unveiled Jan. 28 has failed so far to produce anything more than mutual blame.
The PLO, which officially represents Palestinians on the world stage but does not include Hamas, had agreed to send a delegation including Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah representatives to meet with Hamas in Gaza to discuss how to confront the US plan. Palestinians say the plan heavily favors Israel; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League agree with that assessment.
But the meeting has yet to take place. Fatah says Hamas has yet to send an official invitation, but Hamas says Fatah is insisting on a bilateral meeting without the other Palestinian factions in Gaza. Hamas wants to involve the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
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