On Wednesday, Egypt will hold talks with representatives of Hamas and Fatah (and representatives of other dissident groups) , with the goal of effecting a reconciliation between the rival factions, and a snap election of a unit government.
The US has historically opposed this sort of reconciliation, preferring to support the secular Fatah, but lately, there have been signals the the US is prepared to accept this development.
Palestinian factions including the secular Fatah movement and its Hamas rivals will meet in Cairo on Wednesday in a new reconciliation bid, officials from both groups said on Saturday.
"Egypt has informed (Palestinian) president (Mahmud) Abbas and the factions that it will launch a dialogue on February 25 with all Palestinian groups," Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Fatah parliamentary bloc, told AFP.
He added that five commissions would be created to look into the main points of conflict between the two main Palestinian factions, including reforming the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the security forces.
Hamas confirmed that it had received an "official invitation" from Egypt.
"We hope the dialogue will be successful," spokesman Fawzi Barhum said. "The dialogue is in the national interest of putting an end to the internal division."
Armed Forces Press
Hamas seeks the release of prisoners held by the Fatah led PA. Israel objects to this.
ISrael, Egypt and the US have sought to diminish Hamas's influence in Gaza and the West BAnk by supporting the blockade, training Fatah forces, and enabling a public relations campaign against Hamas.
Abbas, for his part, used the military offensive in Gaza as a pretext for stepping up his crackdown on Hamas and its supporters in the West Bank. More than 500 Palestinians have been rounded up by Abbas's security forces in the past two months, on suspicion of membership in Hamas or for voicing public support for the movement.
Abbas's US-trained policemen also used an iron-fist policy against Palestinians who took to the streets to protest against the war and express their solidarity with their brothers in Gaza. In many cases, Palestinians were forbidden to demonstrate, unless they agreed to shout slogans in favor of Abbas and his Fatah faction.
Abbas's media also joined the effort by waging a propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Hamas in the eyes of the Palestinian public. Ramallah-based newspapers and Web sites were full of stories that sought to depict Hamas leaders as corrupt and cowardly.
Jpost
The Unites States is signalling that it will not obstruct HAmas/Fatah talks.
Former Senator George J. Mitchell, the new American special envoy to the Middle East, has expressed support for reconciliation between Hamas and the Fatah movement of the Palestinian Authority, and the visit could signal the start of a re-evaluation of American policy toward the Palestinian question.
NY Times
So, with Abbas, Egypt, and now the United States removing barriers to a PAlestinian Unity government, is Israel going to be isolated, or will Israel show pragmatism and engage? Historically, Israel has escalated military perations whenever there seems to be progress towards a Hamas/Fatah unity government, following meetings in Kuwait, yemen, and Mecca.
Iran seems to be reserving comment. Should the US: