GAZA CITY: Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday he is open to a single Palestinian administration to govern Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“We have received numerous initiatives concerning the internal (Palestinian) situation and we are open to the idea of a national government for the West Bank and Gaza,” Haniyeh said in a televised address.

Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since winning the 2006 Palestinian elections, which were followed by violent clashes with the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

Multiple attempts at reconciliation between the factions have failed, while Abbas’s popularity as head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has plummeted. The United States has stressed Palestinians must be part of any future administration, but the role of the internationally-recognised Palestinian Auth­ority remains unclear.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2024