Updated

Senior Fatah officials met in an effort to heal internal divisions within the dominant Palestinian Authority party ahead of a planned November election, after reconciliation efforts between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and exiled rival Mohammed Dahlan failed to bear fruit. Attention has instead turned to more bridgeable disputes, notably tensions between Hussein al-Sheikh and Jibril Rajoub, two of the party's most influential figures. The rifts within Fatah come amid concern that continued infighting could weaken the party's performance in the upcoming vote, at a time when the Palestinian Authority is seeking to project unity and legitimacy both domestically and internationally.