The National Council will convene at the end of April, well-informed Palestinian sources said, stressing that the boycott of some factions will not affect the legal quorum. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources said: “The Fatah Movement, independents and other factions and unions would constitute a majority if the Popular Front insisted on its decision to boycott the Council.” The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced on Thursday that it will not participate in the National Council meeting scheduled for the end of April. “The PFLP delegation, which met with representatives from the Fatah Movement on Wednesday (in Cairo) called for postponing the session, and continuing efforts to hold a national unity council, in accordance with national agreements signed in this regard,” a statement issued by the Front said. “In light of the lack of agreement between the two delegations to postpone the National Council meeting, the Popular Front decided not to attend,” the statement added. The Hamas Movement described the PFLP decision as “historic”, calling for similar national stances. “We highly appreciate the PFLP position and consider it a historic position that comes in line with national responsibility and concern over the march towards Palestinian national unity,” it said in a statement. The PFLP, as well as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, were seeking to convene the National Assembly abroad with the participation of all members and unions, but Fatah insisted on holding the meeting in Ramallah and refuses the entry of Hamas to the Palestinian Liberation Organization before the completion of the reconciliation process. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is insisting on convening the Council at the end of April to elect a new PLO executive committee, as the last step in “pumping new blood” in institutions, which is aimed at securing a smooth transition of power in the event of any forced absence of the president. The session will come a year after the Fatah elections, which established a new Central Committee and Revolutionary Council. The National Council serves as the PLO parliament, representing all Palestinians at home and abroad. It currently has around 650 members, who represent Palestinian factions, forces and unions everywhere. The Council has convened 22 times since it was founded, the most recent of which was a special session in Ramallah in 2009 that ended with the appointment and election of six new members to the Organization.