GAZA, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Hamas and Fatah have agreed to reconcile in an agreement that would return the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, officials of both factions said.
The agreement to be signed Oct. 22 would open the way for presidential and parliamentary elections, Egyptian and Palestinian authorities told The Jerusalem Post in a story published Sunday.
Under the agreement, security troops loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would return to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, said Husam Zaki, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. The crossing, which has been closed for most of the past two years, would reopen, Zaki said.
Hamas and Fatah leaders are to meet in Jordan Monday for talks before going on to Syria for similar talks with representatives of other Palestinian factions, The Post reported.
Under the proposed agreement, elections could take place in Palestinian Authority territories during the first half of 2010 with a joint Hamas-Fatah security force overseeing Gaza, Zaki said.
