He had at first said he would not run in order to preserve Palestinian unity.

Ethan Bronner described the fighting as an indication "that the Palestinian unity needed for creation of a state is far off."

Instead, there seems to be a determination here that the council session will reflect maximum Palestinian unity and avoid divisive debates.

Haniyeh was quoted as saying that he knew who the alleged perpetrators were, but declined to identify them and appealed for Palestinian unity.

And the only thing that I have in my hand to challenge these pressures and difficulties is our Palestinian unity.

But Washington should be careful not to play the game of concessions with us because this will damage Palestinian national unity.

Abbas's followed the announcement with calls for "the spirit of change in Egypt" to inspire Palestinian unity.

Although people here welcome the theoretical prospect of Palestinian unity, the new opening has already exposed the stark cultural and economic contrasts between the two regions.

Third, the issue - and it is a very important one - of Palestinian unity.

Hamas has invited other Palestinian factions to join it in the interest of Palestinian unity.