MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2018) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday held talks with Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee and leader of the Palestinian National Initiative party, discussing the intra-Palestinian split, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The sides discussed the Palestinian-Israeli settlement. Special attention was paid to the problem of overcoming the intra-Palestinian split," the statement reads.
Since late March, when the so-called Palestinian Great March of Return began, tensions have been mounting between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the Gaza border. The violence reached its peak in May amid the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem timed to the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. Then, over 60 Palestinians were killed and over 2,700 others were wounded by the Israeli forces in the course of two days.
Hamas, listed as a terrorist organization in many countries, including the United States and Israel, gained control of the Gaza Strip after a short war with the rival Fatah movement in 2007, which led to the enclave's blockade. Fatah has repeatedly criticized Hamas for splitting the country and blocking the Palestinian Unity Government, created in 2014, from ruling Gaza. Fatah is the dominating faction of the PLO.
