Hamas, Fatah leaders in Eid phone call


GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Leaders of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas spoke via telephone on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, stressing the need for reconciliation, a Hamas official said Tuesday.

Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke to President Mahmoud Abbas of the "need for a return to national unity and an end to division" during the late night conversation, a Hamas official said on condition of anonymity.

The two men exchanged greetings for Eid al-Adha, which Muslims began celebrating on Tuesday.

The Hamas movement and its rival Fatah, Abbas' party that dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, have been at odds since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Since signing an Egyptian-brokered deal in 2011 they have been attempting to heal their rifts. more

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