Islamic Jihad delegation arrives in Cairo

An Islamic Jihad delegation has arrived in Cairo to discuss national unity, party officials said Thursday. The group, headed by the movement's general-secretary Ramadan Shalah, was invited for talks following a meeting between Fatah leader President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal in the Egyptian capital last week, Islamic Jihad officials told Ma'an. Sources in the movement said the delegation would discuss the reconciliation agreement. On Wednesday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Liberation Front said they had received invitations to send delegations to Cairo on Dec. 4 and Dec. 6 to discuss the unity deal. Later this month, the secretary-generals of all factions are due to attend a collective meeting in Cairo. The Islamic Jihad delegation will discuss joining the Palestine Liberation Organization, officials said. Senior leader Sheikh Khalid al-Batsh told Ma'an on Sunday that Islamic Jihad would be interested in joining the PLO, but only on condition that it is restructured and its new agenda does not include any recognition of Israel. Following talks between Abbas and Mashaal on Nov. 24, it was announced that an all-encompassing leadership body tasked with reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization would hold its first meeting on Dec. 22. The body was first envisioned by a 2005 agreement among factions. The PLO, led by Abbas, was founded in 1964 and is recognized internationally as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.