"The office of the prime minister and the foreign ministry have begun making the contacts and the necessary preparations for a tour of Arab and Muslim countries," Muhammad Madhun said, adding that the trip could begin in the middle of November.
The trip would include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Lebanon and Iran.
Israel and Western nations, particularly the Unites States and the European Union, have boycotted the Palestinian Authority since Hamas took over in March, arguing that it is a terrorist movement. A resulting freeze on transferring customs duties collected by Israel and of Western direct aid has severely aggravated what was already a critical Palestinian economic situation.
The West is demanding that Hamas renounce violence, recognise Israel and abide by past peace deals signed with the Jewish state, something Hamas refuses to do.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006