VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Algeria on Tuesday (5/7). This meeting can be regarded as a historic one considering the two leaders last met in Doha, Qatar in October 2016. Abbas and Haniyeh were invited by Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune to attend celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France. A photo released by the Palestinian Presidential office shows Algerian President Tebboune sitting between Abbas and Haniyeh in the meeting room against the backdrop of the Algerian national flag.

A Gaza-based political analyst, Husam al-Dajani said that President Tebboune deliberately invited Abbas and Haniyeh to bring them together. According to Husam al-Dajani, President Tebboune wanted to persuade Abbas and Haniyeh to continue their dialogue. The two conflicting parties are expected to end the internal Palestinian division that has lasted about 15 years and achieve internal reconciliation.

Palestinian internal problems related to Hamas and Fatah began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah. Since then, the Palestinian territories have been divided into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-dominated West Bank.

Until now, countries that have tried to become mediators to reconcile them have not been able to end the internal Palestinian division between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah Party. Indeed, the two rivals have previously reached a series of understandings and agreements sponsored by Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but have never been implemented.

Hopefully, the historic meeting in Algeria will be a good start for the reopening of dialogue between the two parties so that complete peace can be created in Palestine.