Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (L) and PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Egypt said it has been working to reconcile rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. Photo: Jewish Policy Center.

An Egyptian official revealed on Wednesday that Cairo has been working to renew talks toward reconciliation between the rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah, which remain deeply divided despite being partners in a nominal unity government.

“Our efforts are ongoing and continuous despite events in the region,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel Atty said in an interview with the Palestinian news site Donia Al-Watan. “As far as we are concerned Palestine is the main issue in the area, and we need to do everything to establish an independent Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem.”

Read full story at The Times of Israel.