Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process

The Palestinian government decided Oct. 4 to delay municipal elections for up to four months after the high court ruled they should be held only in the West Bank and not in the Gaza Strip.
However, a new date for the vote was not set by the government based in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory run by President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party.

The Palestinian Authority on August 18 accused Hamas of holding secret talks with Israel that would endorse the separation of Palestinian territories.

Israel said on August 17 it was not engaged in talks with Hamas following a flurry of media reports suggesting the two sides were discussing a long-term ceasefire.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on June 21 told visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that any new Palestinian unity government should not include Hamas, France's top diplomat said.

Palestinian security forces in the West Bank arrested dozens of members of the Islamist movement Hamas March 9, sources on both sides said.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which has its headquarters in Ramallah, has regularly detained Hamas members, including MPs, over the past few years.

Hamas said Jan. 5 it was "totally opposed" to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's plans to re-submit to the UN Security Council a resolution on ending Israel's occupation which failed last week.
      
"Hamas is totally opposed to any return to the UN Security Council by the Palestinian Authority," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
      

Around 50 Palestinian unity government officials, including eight ministers, arrived in Gaza Dec. 29 to kickstart reconstruction of the territory devastated by a 50-day war with Israel, officials told AFP.