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Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders meet in Beirut to coordinate activity

The terror groups held talks about how they can coordinate actions in light of the restrictions on movement into and out of Gaza, and the normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Ismail Haniyeh
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrives in Gaza, at the Rafah border crossing from Egypt, after reconciliation talks with Fatah mediated by Egyptian intelligence, Sept. 19, 2017. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Secretary-General Ziad al-Nahala in Beirut on Wednesday to discuss cooperation between the two terrorist groups.

The two organizations held talks about how they can coordinate their actions in light of the restrictions on movement into and out of Gaza and the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and the Trump peace plan, Ynet reported on Thursday.

The Hamas leader is in Beirut for a week-long visit to meet with other Palestinian factions over the warming relations between Israel and some Arab states, AlJazeera recorded.

Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ali Baraka, said the joint discussions in Ramallah and Beirut seek to develop “a unified Palestinian strategy to confront normalization schemes ... and to reject plans to annex the West Bank, as well as [the Trump administration’s] ‘deal of the century.’ ”

That deal also refers to the Mideast peace plan, formerly called the “Peace to Prosperity” vision.

According to Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, speaking in Ramallah, the talks aim “to open a new page, to end divisions, achieve national reconciliation and build a national partnership between all factions,” according to the report.

Mark Levine told The New York Times that he “still supports Israel but that the bonds aren’t strong enough investments.”
Israel’s foreign minister called it a historic day for ties between the two countries and an important day for the capital.
“I am proud to lead a tremendous revolution in settlement in Judea and Samaria and to effectively kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told JNS.
“Both sides were talking about the Michigan Senate race, the Shia leadership of Lebanon and the Jewish leadership of Israel,” Sen. James Lankford said.