President Mahmoud Abbas described his Gaza-based meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as “successful” saying he believes the joint efforts of the government and presidency to form a national unity government will soon come to fruition.

Abbas’ statements come on the heels of a three-day meeting of the Fateh Revolutionary Council in Ramallah during which the members will presumably vote for the position of Commander General, previously held by the late President Yasser Arafat. The meeting is also aimed at putting Fateh’s own house in order in light of the movement’s crushing defeat in last January’s Legislative Council elections, which resulted in their exit from the government.

There have been a number of indications that the formation of a national unity government is on the horizon. Following several failed meetings between Hamas and Fateh leaders over the past few months, with both sides launching verbal attacks against the other, this week the two sides used the language of conciliation in describing their efforts with the other party.

After Friday prayers in Gaza city, Haniyeh told worshippers that if the position of Prime Minister was preventing the Americans and Europeans from lifting the siege off the Palestinian people, he would be more than happy to step down. “We can relinquish our love for seats because our hearts are not honored by them but by our love for Palestine and for Al Aqsa,” he said.

Another hint of an impending breakthrough came during a broadcast on Israel’s Channel Two on Friday night. The report stated that a political/security deal, hammered out by Palestinian, American, Israeli, Arab and European parties, would most likely be reached within the next three weeks. The report, which was presented by Israeli political analyst Yehudi Ari, said the deal included a mutual truce between Hamas and Israel and a prisoner exchange between Palestinian prisoners and captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Ari also said the deal included an agreement that Hamas would halt its rockets into Israel and any military operations in exchange for an Israeli pledge to halt attacks on Palestinians. In addition, any Palestinian national unity government must be accepted by Americans, Europeans and Arab parties before financial aid to the Palestinians would be resumed.

Premier Haniyeh has presumably already got the ball rolling, reportedly handing a list of potential candidates for the upcoming unity government, including Hamas-proposed candidates for the position of Prime Minister.