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Egypt on Monday called on rival Palestinian factions to form a unity government and restructure their security forces in a bid to end hostilities that have undermined efforts to reach a statehood deal.

Cairo presented a four-page proposal, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and Islamist Hamas, outlining steps the groups should take to end their power struggle.

Egypt also said Abbas should continue peace talks with Israel but that any deal needs approval from a national referendum or the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which it said should be restructured to include all factions, including Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction.

Egypt drafted the proposal after a series of talks with 13 Palestinian factions and it will be discussed when the groups meet again in Cairo on November 9.

Previous Arab-led initiatives have failed to reconcile the bitter rivals and initial reactions by the groups cast doubt on whether any deal can be reached.

The Egyptian proposal calls for the immediate formation of a Palestinian unity government and an agreement on when to hold national elections.

A previous unity government collapsed after Hamas routed Fatah forces to take control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Abbas sacked the Hamas-led government and appointed a Western-backed administration in the occupied West Bank where Fatah holds sway.

The groups also disagree on when to hold new elections with Fatah calling for both presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in 2010 and Hamas saying Abbas's term ends in January 2009. Cairo's proposal calls for simultaneous elections.

Egypt said that Hamas and Fatah security forces, which have frequently fought each other, should be removed from factional politics and be operated at a national level.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Hamas would accept the proposal "after some amendments are made and some clarifications are given" without giving any details.

Fatah officials said they accept the Egyptian proposal but ask for the two additions. They said any transitional government should be committed to past PLO agreements, a demand routinely rejected by Hamas, and that Abbas and the PLO remain solely responsible for holding peace talks with Israel.