The Fatah and Hamas factions have agreed to form a unity government, a key element of the elusive reconciliation that is considered by many to be the greatest obstacle to statehood. The deal was signed-off on by Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority and head of Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization; and Khalid Meshaal, the head of Hamas, albeit based in the Gulf in a self-imposed exile. The deal was brokered by Russia and announced in Moscow, where talks under the aegis of President Vladimir Putin, have been underway for the past three days. New members of the Palestinian National Council will be elected within coming weeks and a new unity government will follow. Also to flow from the newly reconstituted body – which will be joined by other factions – is a new Executive Committee of the PLO – the senior body and internationally-recognized voice of the Palestinian people. Officials expressed the belief that the strength of unity will be necessary in dealing with the new American administration. Like past presidents, the president-elect has signaled that the Israeli-Palestinian track among Middle East conflicts will be high on the Trump agenda.