Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has declared July 31 a day of mourning for the assassination of Hamas Politburo Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, with all PA flags lowered.
Abbas also called Hamas leader Khalid Meshaal to offer condolences over Haniyeh's death. Meshaal was Haniyeh's predecessor as head of the Hamas political bureau.
In 2006-2007, Haniyeh served as Prime Minister of the PA. After Hamas staged a coup in the Gaza Strip, relations between the movements were severed. Despite lengthy negotiations, the split on the Palestinian street was never resolved.
