Palestinian factions meet in Egypt seeking reconciliation as violence surges in the West Bank

CAIRO (AP) — Palestinian factions have met in Egypt to discuss reconciliation efforts amid surging violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank. With the main groups, Hamas and Fatah, split since 2007 and with repeated reconciliation attempts having failed, expectations were low for the one-day meeting. Participants at the closed-door meeting gave no indication of what was discussed. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said at its conclusion only that the meeting was a “first and significant step.” The meeting came amid soaring violence in the West Bank, which is dominated by Abbas and his Fatah group.