Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas asked Arab members of the Israeli Knesset to help advance a reconciliation deal between his Fatah party and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.

Abbas made the suggestion at a meeting with leaders from Israel’s Arab sector, including parliamentarians, in Ramallah on Saturday. Fatah and Hamas made a joint decision last month to hold municipal elections in October.

The Gaza Strip has been ruled by Hamas since the terrorist group won Gaza’s 2006 parliamentary elections and ousted Fatah in a violent 2007 coup. Since then, Fatah and Hamas have periodically sought to set aside their differences and reach a unity agreement, most recently in 2014.

In his efforts to reconcile with Hamas, Abbas has never insisted that the terrorist group abide by the minimal Quartet requirements (.pdf) that “all members of a future Palestinian government must be committed to nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap.” Despite this, Abbas suggested that Israeli-Arab leaders could reach out to Israelis and “show them that we really want peace.”

Both France and Egypt have put forward proposals for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in recent months. Abbas explained on Saturday that he rejected Egypt’s efforts because he wants to discourage ties between Israel and the Arab world before the Palestinian situation is resolved.

[Photo: Flash90 ]