Pacified Parties Pledge Peaceful Poll Process, Procure Palestinians’ Passage  

In a rare move meant to nudge forward the ongoing peace talks between the two rival Palestinian factions – Fatah and Hamas, Egypt on Tuesday reopened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip indefinitely. The decision was a result of “intensive bilateral talks between the Palestinian and Egyptian leaderships,” the Palestinian embassy in Cairo said, aimed at “facilitating the passage of Palestinians to and from” Gaza. Egypt is looking to incentivize the reconciliation of the two warring groups fighting for control over the Palestinian territories for nearly a decade and a half. Representatives of Fatah, which controls the West Bank and conducts relations with Israel, and Hamas, which is designated a terror organization by Jerusalem and which rules the Gaza Strip, began Egyptian-brokered talks on Monday. The sides released a joint statement later on Tuesday pledging to respect the general election results scheduled in all the Palestinian territories later this year.