PLO Factions Seek to Postpone National Dialogue

 A delegation from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine arrives at the headquarters of the Palestinian Dialogue in Cairo in January 2021. (AFP)
A delegation from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine arrives at the headquarters of the Palestinian Dialogue in Cairo in January 2021. (AFP)
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PLO Factions Seek to Postpone National Dialogue

 A delegation from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine arrives at the headquarters of the Palestinian Dialogue in Cairo in January 2021. (AFP)
A delegation from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine arrives at the headquarters of the Palestinian Dialogue in Cairo in January 2021. (AFP)

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) factions want to postpone the second round of the national dialogue in Cairo, scheduled for March, said member of the PLO’s Executive Committee Ahmed Majdalani.

In comments to the Voice of Palestine radio station, Majdalani said discussions are ongoing with PLO political forces that took part in the latest Cairo talks to postpone the upcoming round until after the legislative elections, scheduled for May 22.

He pointed out that any talks now would be “hypothetical” because there are no fundamental issues to be discussed.

According to the first round’s final communique, factions agreed to head to Cairo in March for another round of talks in a bid to settle thorny issues.

They still need to agree on the principles and mechanisms by which the formation of the new National Council will be completed, and bolster the national program.

Hamas, meanwhile, insists on reaching an understanding about the National Council elections before holding the legislative elections.

It wants to ensure that the elections will proceed as scheduled and without an agreed-upon National Council elections, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Hamas was aiming to hold simultaneous elections,” they added, but due to the intervention by regional countries that provided guarantees, it agreed on the gradual elections, provided that they all be covered in a single decree setting their dates.



Blaze at Cairo Telecom Building Kills 4 and Disrupts Internet, Phone

A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Blaze at Cairo Telecom Building Kills 4 and Disrupts Internet, Phone

A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Four workers were killed and at least 22 others were injured in a fire that broke out on Monday at a key data center in Cairo, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the spokesperson at Egypt's Health Ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The blaze at a Telecom Egypt facility, which state TV said was contained on Monday, caused disruptions to communications across the capital.

Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, said in a statement on Tuesday that services will be gradually restored within 24 hours.

In a statement on Tuesday, Telecom Egypt said it mourned the employees that lost their lives and offered support for their families.

The fire halted phone calls, and disrupted internet access, with internet monitoring group Netblocks saying network data showed national connectivity at 62% of ordinary levels.

The health ministry posted alternative numbers for ambulance services across different governorates in case people were unable to reach its main hotline.

Besides phone calls, some digital banking services were also impacted including credit cards, ATM machines and online transactions, a bank source and residents said on Monday. Banks had already been closed for the day.

The injuries were mostly because of smoke inhalation, health ministry spokesperson Ghaffar said on Monday.

The state news agency MENA said on Monday the fire had been prevented from spreading to the entire building and neighboring rooftops.

An initial examination indicated that the fire was likely to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, MENA cited a security source as saying.