Local elections in the West Bank seem to have boosted ties between Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which are running as allies.
US President Joe Biden sends his main diplomat to the Middle East just days after Egypt negotiates a ceasefire was obtained The Israeli military ended its 11-day deadly bombing and rocket launching of rockets against Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday for the first round of a four-day trip, during which he will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will then travel to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to “strengthen” the ceasefire.
He will travel to Egypt and Jordan around Blink this week to “discuss key follow-up efforts to establish a ceasefire in the coming months and reduce the risk of further conflict.”
Abbas announces Palestinian elections kuwaittimes.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kuwaittimes.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Abbas announces first elections in 15 years
17th January, 2021 12:03:24
RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Friday announced dates for the first Palestinian elections in more than 15 years, setting legislative polls for May 22 and a July 31 presidential vote, reports AFP.
Abbas’s Fatah party, which controls the Palestinian Authority based in the occupied West Bank, and the Hamas Islamists, who hold power in Gaza, have for years expressed interest in taking Palestinians back to the polls. A long-standing rivalry between the two main Palestinian factions was seen as a leading factor in stalling progress towards a new vote.
But Fatah and Hamas have lately been engaged in unity talks, reaching an agreement in principle in September to hold elections in 2021. Hamas on Friday welcomed Abbas’s announcement. “In recent months, we have worked to overcome obstacles in order to reach this day,” it said in a statement. It added that it looked to “free elections in which