Egypt postponed inter-Palestinian dialogue as several Palestinian factions, mainly Hamas, decided to boycott it, Palestinian sources said on Saturday.
Ramattan, a local news agency, quoted Palestinian officials as saying that Egypt told them the dialogue, which was scheduled to start on Sunday, was delayed.
12 Palestinian factions were invited to the dialogue.
Meanwhile, a Hamas official said his movement decided to boycott the dialogue, blaming rival Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, on the failure of the dialogue.
"Going to the dialogue is useless and meaningless so Hamas and the factions of resistance refuse to go to the dialogue," said Salah al-Bardaweel, a Hamas legislator.
Islamic Jihad was among the factions that decided to boycott the dialogue.
Hamas says the decision was made because pro-Abbas forces continued arresting its supporters in West Bank. "Egypt is convinced and believed president Abbas' account that there are no political prisoners in West Bank," al-Bardaweel said. "This has cut any hope to hold the dialogue in this circumstances."
Hamas accuses pro-Abbas forces of confining more than 500 Hamassupporters and members in West Bank while Fatah says Hamas roundedup Fatah leaders and officials across Gaza Strip on Thursday.
The dialogue aims at reconciling Hamas and Fatah and ending the political split between Gaza Strip and West Bank which followed Hamas' violent seizure of the Gaza Strip last year.
But pan-Arab media reported that Hamas also studies the boycotting of the dialogue because Egypt, which drafted the agenda of the dialogue, rejected to consider Hamas' reservations.
Hamas has numerous reservations on the paper, saying it gives its rival Fatah more authorization and neglects Hamas' victory of 2006 parliamentary elections by calling for holding early elections.
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