BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) – The Palestinian prime minister led a delegation from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip on Monday for talks with Hamas in the most ambitious attempt to reconcile the rival political factions since the Islamic militant group seized control of the seaside territory over a decade ago.
Rami Hamdallah began his visit with a message of reconciliation, shortly after arriving in a 30-vehicle motorcade through the Erez border crossing separating Israel and Gaza. He was accompanied by a large delegation of Fatah officials from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, dozens of aides and armed bodyguards.
“The only way to statehood is through unity,” Hamdallah said, speaking at a welcome ceremony attended by Fatah and Hamas officials. “We are coming to Gaza again to deepen the reconciliation and end the split.”
Some 2,000 people greeted Hamdallah’s delegation at the border. Hundreds of others lined the streets to greet him, preventing the motorcade from making a stop at a Fatah official’s house for a planned lunch meeting. The sides decided instead to meet at a beachside hotel.
Hamas ousted the Fatah-led forces of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in the summer of 2007, leaving the Palestinians torn between rival governments located on opposite sides of Israel.