PLO Seeks Closer Ties with Iran
JERUSALEM, Israel -- The Palestine Liberation Organization dispatched a senior official to Tehran to promote bilateral relations and trade ties with Iran.
Ahmed Majdalani met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif, who represented his country during the U.S.-led negotiations on its nuclear program.
Zarif will reportedly deliver a letter from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani describing Israeli assaults against Palestinian Arabs and their holy sites and bilateral relations between the P.A. and Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The two leaders also discussed the strained relationship between Fatah and Hamas, asking Iran to help the two factions end the seemingly endless animosity between them. The two Palestinian factions have been unable to reconcile since the 2007 military coup in the Gaza Strip that left Hamas in control.
Meanwhile, Hamas denied reports of Iran calling off a meeting with its Doha-based leader Khaled Meshaal because of his recent trip to Saudi Arabia. Meshaal met with government officials there, including King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
According to Hamas spokesman Khaled Qaddoumi, Meshaals visit with the Saudi king did not affect the relationship with Tehran.
Since the bloody coup eight years ago, Iran has armed, trained and funded the Gaza-based terror group, as it has Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
