As part of efforts to ease tensions that recently sparked a spiral of violence between rivals Hamas and Fatah, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa met with Azzam al-Ahmed, deputy to the Palestinian premier, and Fatah representatives in Cairo Sunday, according to DPA. "We want to protect the national unity government and the Makkah agreement," al-Ahmed said in statements to the press. He added: "(We want to) unite all efforts between all Palestinian factions towards fighting Israeli aggression." According to sources from both sides, the talks focused on bolstering a ceasefire between Fatah and Hamas. Al-Ahmed, nevertheless, said on Sunday that discussions on reorganizing the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has not stopped. "Perhaps the Higher Council will meet soon in Cairo to restructure the National Palestinian Council" and in turn the PLO, which should be inclusive of Fatah and Hamas, he said. In the press conference that followed their talks, Moussa said that the violence in the Palestinian territories is but a result of the "Israeli occupation."
