CAIRO: Egypt reopened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday amid talks in Cairo aimed at resolving issues between rival Palestinian factions.
The Rafah crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, has been a source of dispute between the Egyptian government and Hamas, which is taking part in the negotiations.
The Palestinian Embassy in Cairo said that Egypt had decided to reopen the crossing as a result of “intensive and bilateral talks between the Palestinian and Egyptian leaderships to facilitate the passage of Palestinians to and from the Gaza Strip.”Walid Al-Awad, a member of the Palestinian People’s Party political bureau, said that the reopening of the Rafah crossing shows that discussions in Cairo are making progress.
Talks involving the Palestinian factions resumed in Cairo on Tuesday.
Palestinian sources have described the mood in the sessions as positive.
Talks involving 14 Palestinian factions began on Monday under the patronage of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in an attempt to strengthen understanding and open a new chapter in the history of Palestine.
Discussions also will focus on the upcoming legislative and presidential elections following last month’s decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The presidential elections in July and National Council poll in August will be the first in Palestine since 2006.
Egyptian media quoted an official source saying: “The Palestinian national dialogue in Cairo aims to overcome Palestinian differences and build a fruitful future for coming generations.”
El-Sisi has said that Egypt will continue to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
