The Islamic Jihad Movement said that its Secretary-General, Ziad al-Nakhala, arrived in Moscow at the head of a delegation that includes members of the political office such as Mohammad al-Hindi, Abdel Aziz al-Minnawi and the movement’s representative in Lebanon, Ihsan Ataya.
The delegation arrived after Fatah and Hamas concluded their separate visits to Moscow where they met with Russian officials.
Jihad said its secretary-general received an invitation to visit Moscow on March 1.
Hamas delegation, chaired by head of politburo Ismail Haniyeh, and Fatah officials, including member of the Central Committee Hussein Sheikh, arrived in Moscow as part of Russian efforts to sponsor a Palestinian dialogue ending the intra-division.
Russia maintains a good relationship with the Palestinian factions, as well as with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel.
Officials in Moscow discussed a possible reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, saying they considered ways to restore Palestinian unity based on the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
They also considered the prospects of achieving a “lasting and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East.”
Haniyeh met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and they discussed four options to achieve reconciliation.
The options included holding elections followed by the Palestinian National Council, or a national meeting outside Ramallah in which all factions can participate, or a meeting for factions’ general secretaries in Cairo, or forming a government of national unity in agreement with all the factions.
Fatah said it was immediately ready to end the internal division, but Hamas refused to give a date to meet with the PLO delegation.
