Significant progress has been made in secret coalition talks between the top Hamas leader and envoys of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, officials from both sides said today.
In another unexpected show of unity, the civil servants' union dominated by Abbas' Fatah movement announced Saturday that it was ending a strike it had launched four months ago to protest non-payment of salaries by the Hamas-led government.
And in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on his Hamas movement and on Fatah to halt their increasingly violent power struggle that has claimed 35 lives in recent weeks.
"Enough, I say enough," he said in a televised speech. "All forms of internal fighting must stop."
The secret coalition talks started in Syria two weeks ago between top Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and two Abbas envoys, independent legislator Ziad Abu Amr and Mohammed Rashid, a former adviser to Abbas' predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat, officials from both sides said.
The two envoys were heading to Damascus on Saturday for another round of talks, the officials said. Abbas is to visit the Syrian capital later this month. If a coalition agreement is reached, Abbas would meet with Mashaal in Damascus, Abbas aides and Hamas officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with reporters.
Haniyeh confirmed in his speech that coalition talks, which broke down in November, have resumed.
Abbas unexpectedly left for Jordan today to brief Jordan's King Abdullah II on the developments. On Sunday, he is to be back in the West Bank, to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is touring the Middle East.
Hamas and Fatah, bitter political rivals, had made repeated attempts in recent months to form a coalition, but talks failed because of disagreements over the political program and control over key Cabinet posts, such as interior, finance and foreign affairs. Hamas balked at international demands that any Palestinian government recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept existing peace deals.
Under the emerging coalition deal, former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, who is close to Fatah, would return to the job, Abu Amr would be named foreign minister and Haniyeh would remain prime minister, a senior Hamas official said.
Two key sticking points in previous talks - the government's program and who will control most of the security forces - have not yet been resolved.
It remains unclear whether Hamas and Fatah can end the year-long political deadlock and reach a power-sharing agreement. Hamas, the winner of parliament elections a year ago, controls the Cabinet and parliament, while Abbas, elected separately, wields considerable power as president.
AP