The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Tuesday that the Palestine National Council session has been suspended until further notice, with the consent of all PLO factions.

No official statement has been issued about the postponement, although the head of the PNC will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday in Ramallah.

The DFLP said that the meeting will be postponed until a preparatory committee of Palestinian factions is formed.

Sixteen out of the 18 members of the PLO’s Executive Committee signed a letter that was sent to the head of the PNC calling for the session to be postponed.

The leftist faction called for an end to internal division, saying that “eight years of destructive division and internal Palestinian crises are enough.”

The meeting of the PNC, the PLO’s legislative body, is currently to take place on September 14-15.

However, there has been no official confirmation the meeting had been postponed, and on Monday evening senior Fatah official, Azzam al-Ahmad, denied the reports.

He said that a postponement was possible, but that only the head of the council could do that.

Earlier this month, several Palestinian political factions in the Gaza Strip called for a boycott of the meeting, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Last month Abbas announced his resignation as chairman of the PLO in a bid to force new elections for its executive committee.

Abbas’s allies say his moves are part of efforts to inject new blood in the Palestinian leadership.

Critics, however, argue that Abbas is maneuvering to empower his allies and marginalize opponents ahead of the 80-year-old’s eventual retirement.

(Ma’an)