RAMALLAH, West Bank: The Palestinian president met Saturday with Hamas leaders in an attempt to end nearly four years of infighting that has complicated the quest for a Palestinian state, according to The Associated Press.

With the collapse of peace talks with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his government have turned their attention to reconciling with Hamas that ousted his forces from the Gaza Strip in 2007 and left him governing only in the West Bank. Palestinians seek both territories for their nation.

Years of on-and-off talks between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah movement have produced many false starts. Even mediation by Egypt, before the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, failed to bring about a breakthrough.

Saturday’s meeting in the West Bank — the first to involve Abbas in a year — had a relatively modest goal, to arrange a trip by Abbas to Hamas-ruled Gaza for more talks. He has not set foot in the territory since the Hamas takeover.

Senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed said the meeting was a positive discussion but no head ay was made in setting Abbas’ Gaza visit.

“We hope that all the obstacles will be removed. The most important thing is to get to a practical result, which won’t happen before the president’s arrival to Gaza,” he said.

Ayman Hussein of the Hamas delegation told The Associated Press that Abbas said he wants one government to rule both the West Bank and Gaza and that a date needs to be set for Palestinian elections, which have had to be delayed because of the division.

Hamas lawmaker Aziz Duaik said many issues were discussed and “practical steps will follow very soon,” without elaborating.

Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza took to the streets earlier this month calling on their governments to reconcile.

Meanwhile in a different development, Abbas on Saturday said that there will not be a peace agreement with Israel before the release of all Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails.

“The Palestinian leadership will spare no efforts to release all prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails,” Abbas said during the reception of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, at the Presidential compound of Al-Muqata’a in Ramallah.

Abbas stressed the issue of Palestinian prisoners and detainees is “a central issue for the Palestinian leadership.”

He added that the Palestinian leadership is considering this issue as top priority. “I promise we won’t rest before we bring about the release of all the prisoners,” Abbas said.

According to the recent Palestinian statistics, there are 6,700 Palestinians currently held in 10 prisons and three detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank. There are 300 prisoners under the age of 18. Israel also holds 37 females and 13 members of the Palestine Legislative Council.

Since December 2009, the German mediator Gerhard Konard and Egypt had failed to finalize the prisoners’ swap deal for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The failure is due to differences between Hamas and Israel.

Shalit has been in Hamas captivity since he was abducted in a 2006 cross-border raid.

Hamas wants Israel to free up to 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of Shalit, and the Palestinian movement has reportedly presented a list of 450 names in Israeli prisons.

Israel also objects to freeing Israeli Arab prisoners as well as several Hamas military wing leaders. Another issue yet to be settled is Israel's demand to deport almost 100 of the 450 “heavy” prisoners set to be released in the deal.

Meanwhile, Abbas praised the role of the popular committees in Bil’in and other areas in Palestinian territories in resisting the separation wall “by peaceful means guaranteed by international laws.”

This Bil’in-type resistance is taking place also in other villages in the West Bank, but Bil’in has become a symbol: Since 2005 residents of Bil’in responded in fact with a peaceful and nonviolent resistance to the separation wall, that far from the Green line, snakes deeply inside the West Bank annexing 1,968 of 4,040 dunums of Bil'in lands.