• Hamas, Fatah sign reconciliation deal: The two Palestinian groups (Fatah, of which Palestinian Authority President Abbas is a member, holds power in the West Bank while Hamas, which won the last parliamentary election in 2006, holds power over the Gaza Strip) have struck a deal to form an interim government and set the stage for elections. The two sides truck the deal after secret meetings in Cairo, and comes as a huge geopolitical surprise. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern ultimatum in response: “The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both.” source

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