This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians staged rallies in Gaza City and the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday calling for national reconciliation between bitter political rivals Fatah and Hamas.

The rally in Gaza was organized by the Palestinian Popular Campaign for National Reconciliation. Coordinator Abdul Mun'im Tahrawi said the rally had three goals. First was to demonstrate that the Palestinian people can bring about change in the internal political rivalry. Second was to send a message to all political factions that the Palestinian people have chosen reconciliation. Third was to urge the participants in this week's Arab summit in Damascus that the Palestinian issue must be included in the agenda.

Meanwhile, crowds of people in Hebron participated in a march from Al-Quds Open University to the city's Al-Manara Square. Several prominent Palestinian leaders representing different factions and Islamic forces took part in the rally. Palestinian flags were raised and participants shouted slogans calling for national unity.

The Hebron rally was organized by the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution.

On Sunday senior Fatah official and former Palestinian Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmed, and senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzouk signed an initiative in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, calling for the creation of a Palestinian national unity government and the rebuilding of security forces loyal to the government rather than the rival political factions.

Hamas and Fatah ruled together in a National Unity government from March 2007 until Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007, resulting in days of bloody fighting between the two sides.