Beit-Sahour Blog

Talks are held in the Israeli Hadarim jail where all are imprisoned.

Barghouti, who has been jailed since May 2002 and is serving five life terms sentence, has often brokered agreements between parties, even at times in the past arranging agreements between the Israelis and Palestinians.

His purpose in the current negotiations is to find a solution to the current crisis between his Fatah party and the now-ruling Hamas party. After intense fighting between the two in the Gaza Strip, Al Barghouti sat down with several Fatah and Hamas members in the prison in order to come to some sort of understanding which might result in a solution to the political, and now physical, fight.

Sources in the Fatah leadership told PNN Thursday that opening a dialogue is of utmost importance in order to preserve national goals. They spoke of reforming the government into a unity government which may be better able to hash through controversial issues, of which many still exist months into the Hamas rule.

Of course working against Hamas is the US-led political and economic boycott, rendering the party to a nearly “lame-duck” position, but this need not be the reality if a proper understanding is reached, according to both Fatah and Hamas party members.

President Abbas has also sanctioned the meetings and dialogue, while Hamas remains optimistic.

During the past week, at least three Palestinians were killed in the fight between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.