Fatah faction ruled out talks with Hamas on Thursday. According to Reuters, Palestinian sources familiar with the issue said members of Hamas and Fatah had discussed holding peace talks, but Fatah leaders said they had not backed any meeting and rejected dialogue with Hamas unless it cedes control of the Gaza Strip.
"What happened in Gaza was a military coup against legitimacy and against democracy," Abdallah Franji, who is close to President Mahmoud Abbas , told Reuters. "If they retreat then we can talk. Now we cannot."
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was prime minister until June, said late on Wednesday Hamas was prepared to hold talks with Fatah and hinted it might be ready to give up control of the enclave. "Serious efforts are being made to relaunch this dialogue" with Fatah which "will resume after Eid-al-Fitr" brings an end to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Haniyeh said in a Gaza mosque.
According to AFP, he said that the talks will take place in an Arab state. "Our administration of Gaza is temporary," the senior Hamas politician added.
