Hamas-Fatah standoff vexes Egypt as mediator

Frustrated by the unwillingness of Hamas and Fatah to compromise, Egypt may be shifting its priority to first brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a summit between Arab league and European Union member states, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC163E99B150
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a summit between Arab league and European Union member states in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Feb. 24, 2019. - REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Rasha Abou Jalal
@rashaaboujalal1
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — There has been speculation that Egypt has given up on mediating a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank, but so far Egypt hasn't said it will throw in the towel.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhaleh told Al-Mayadeen May 7, “Egypt will no longer oversee the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.” Nakhaleh arrived in Cairo May 3 upon invitation from Egypt to meet with intelligence officials to discuss the Palestinian political situation.

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