Abbas confirms commitment to reconciliation deal

President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he his committed to implementing the reconciliation deal signed last year with rival faction Hamas, official news agency Wafa reported. Abbas made the comments during a meeting with Palestinian Knesset member Muhammad Barakeh, director of the Nazareth municipality Ramiz Jarayseh, and Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad. The president briefed the guests about the latest developments in the peace process. Both Barakeh and Jarayseh expressed their full support for ending the division in Palestinian politics. Hamas and Fatah have led separate governments in Gaza and the West Bank since they split amid bitter fighting in 2007. On May 4, 2011, Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Maashal pledged in Cairo to form a government to prepare for elections within one year. More than one year on, both parties have failed to implement the basic elements of the deal.