Sisi and Abbas discuss Palestinian reconciliation in phone call

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi urged progress on the Egypt-mediated Palestinian reconciliation during a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday, according to an Ittihadiya statement. El Sisi’s statement came a few short hours before Abbas lashed out at rival faction Hamas during a speech yesterday, in which he blamed the group for last week’s apparent assassination attempt against Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, the New York Times reports. Hamas denounced Abbas’ comments, saying they aimed to “burn bridges and reinforce divisions.”