GAZA CITY: A high-ranking Hamas delegation began a visit to Iran on Friday to inform its backers in Tehran about reconciliation efforts with rival Palestinian faction Fatah, an official from the Islamist movement said.

The group led by deputy chief Salah al-Aruri will meet senior Iranian officials over the next several days, the representative said, after Israel insisted it will not recognise any unity Palestinian government unless Hamas cuts off ties with Tehran.

The two Palestinians factions have agreed a landmark deal to end a decade-long split and seek to form a unity government along with other parties.

Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007 with Iranian backing, but is expected to hand it over to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The United States has said any joint government must recognise Israel and disarm Hamas, but the group has stridently rejected the conditions.

“No one in the universe can disarm us. On the contrary, we will continue to have the power to protect our citizens,” the Islamist movement’s Gaza head Yahya Sinwar said Thursday.

Previous attempts at reconciling the Palestinian factions have repeatedly failed, and many analysts are treating the latest bid with caution, waiting to see if it will change anything on the ground.

A major sticking point is expected to be the fate of Hamas’s 25,000-strong armed wing.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017