DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal held a rare meeting Monday in the Gulf nation of Qatar and agreed to move forward with a reconciliation deal between their rival political movements.

The Palestinian split goes back to 2007 when the Islamic militant group Hamas seized Gaza from the Western-backed Abbas, leaving him with only parts of the West Bank. The split weakened Abbas’ position in peace talks with Israel.