[[{"content_id":"376103","domain_id":"0","lang_id":"en","portal_id":"2","owner_id":"114","user_id":"43","view_accesslevel_id":"0","edit_accesslevel_id":"0","delete_accesslevel_id":"0","editor_id":"0","content_title":"Saudi Arabia hosts top Palestinian Fatah and Hamas officials","content_number":"","content_date_event":"2023-04-18 11:56:59","content_summary":"Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh and other officials are in Riyadh.","content_summary_fill":"1","content_body":"Saudi Arabia is hosting on Monday Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh, who is on his first trip to Riyadh in over a decade.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAbbas is visiting Riyadh with Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Majed Faraj, the head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAbbas and Haniyeh met face-to-face in Algeria in July 2022 for the first time in five years. It is unclear if they will meet in Riaydh to iron out their disputes or if the Saudi-sponsored talks will be held separately, behind closed doors.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by the Fatah party, and Hamas, the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, have been at odds over a range of political disagreements since 2007.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago, Saudi Arabia's King Salman invited Abbas to an official iftar in the last days of Ramadan.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBassem al-Agha, Palestine's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told the Voice of Palestine radio that Abbas "will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday, and will hold his meetings on Tuesday."\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n"There is continuous communication with the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that has distinguished and well-established stances towards Palestine," he said, adding that the visit will "discuss the latest political developments."\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLast December, Abbas attended the Arab-Chinese summit in Riyadh and met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn Sunday, Haniyeh headed a Hamas delegation to Riyadh with Saleh al-Arouri, his deputy, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, and Khaled Meshaal, the head of the group abroad.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe delegation will reportedly first pay a pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nA source close to Hamas told Andalou Agency that the delegation is scheduled to meet with Saudi officials "to discuss a number of issues related to Palestinian and regional affairs and bilateral issues between the kingdom and the movement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n"The issue of Palestinian detainees [in Saudi Arabia] will top the agenda of the Hamas visit, as it is scheduled to take several days," the source said.\r\n\r\n ","content_html":"

Saudi Arabia is hosting on Monday Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh, who is on his first trip to Riyadh in over a decade.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Abbas is visiting Riyadh with Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Majed Faraj, the head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Abbas and Haniyeh met face-to-face in Algeria in July 2022 for the first time in five years. It is unclear if they will meet in Riaydh to iron out their disputes or if the Saudi-sponsored talks will be held separately, behind closed doors.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by the Fatah party, and Hamas, the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, have been at odds over a range of political disagreements since 2007.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia's King Salman invited Abbas to an official iftar in the last days of Ramadan.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Bassem al-Agha, Palestine's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told the Voice of Palestine radio that Abbas "will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday, and will hold his meetings on Tuesday."<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

"There is continuous communication with the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that has distinguished and well-established stances towards Palestine," he said, adding that the visit will "discuss the latest political developments."<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Last December, Abbas attended the Arab-Chinese summit in Riyadh and met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

On Sunday, Haniyeh headed a Hamas delegation to Riyadh with Saleh al-Arouri, his deputy, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, and Khaled Meshaal, the head of the group abroad.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

The delegation will reportedly first pay a pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

A source close to Hamas told Andalou Agency that the delegation is scheduled to meet with Saudi officials "to discuss a number of issues related to Palestinian and regional affairs and bilateral issues between the kingdom and the movement.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n

"The issue of Palestinian detainees [in Saudi Arabia] will top the agenda of the Hamas visit, as it is scheduled to take several days," the source said.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

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