Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah announced today their intention to launch talks to “unite” their voices under the banner of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the day after they met in Moscow.

Russia welcomed them yesterday, Thursday, in Moscow leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and other Palestinian movements for talks on the war in Gaza where Israel and Hamas have been fighting since October 7, and on the period after the war.

Shortly before this meeting in Moscow, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority government based in the occupied West Bank submitted its resignation, paving the way for the formation of a government of technocrats from various factions after the end of the war in Gaza, according to the analysts.

Current talks between Arab countries and Western powers point to the installation, after the war, of a reformed Palestinian leadership to take charge of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

During their meeting in Moscow, the Palestinian factions agreed “in an upcoming dialogue in order to achieve comprehensive national unity that will include all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization,” according to the text of their joint declaration.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are considered “terrorist organizations” by many Western countries, but the PLO is recognized internationally as the representative of the Palestinians of the Palestinian territories and the diaspora.

In recent years, talks aimed at integrating Hamas, in which it was not involved, into the PLO have all failed.

In their “constructive” talks, the factions also agreed on a number of points such as the “withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza, the creation of a Palestinian state and “reconstruction” after the war, according to their statement.

In recent years, Moscow has struggled to maintain good relations with all parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Fatah and Hamas, but relations with Israel have recently soured over its assault on Gaza and its staunch opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state.