Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at a Fatah central council meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Abbas said Wednesday he will not run for re-election. This is the first time Abbas has said explicitly he will not seek another term. In a speech Wednesday to political allies, Abbas also said he is willing to travel to the Gaza Strip to promote reconciliation between the feuding Palestinian territories and form a united government.
AP
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has met with the rival Palestinian group Hamas in the West Bank for the first time in about a year.
The two sides have been split since Hamas expelled Abbas' forces from the Gaza Strip in 2007, leaving the Palestinian president in control only of the West Bank. Years of mediation has failed to reconcile the two sides, complicating efforts to achieve a Palestinian state through a peace deal with Israel.
Abbas now says he's willing to travel to Hamas-controlled Gaza to prepare the ground for a unity deal. He has not visited Gaza since the Hamas takeover.
Palestinians in both territories have demonstrated this month to call for unity.
Saturday's meeting appeared to be an attempt to lobby Hamas to accept Abbas' proposal.
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