Hamas Presses Abbas to Issue Elections Decree

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
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Hamas Presses Abbas to Issue Elections Decree

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)

Celebrating the 32nd anniversary of its founding, Hamas said it was ready for Palestinian elections, reconciliation and ending divisions with the Palestinian Authorities in the West Bank.

The Hamas leadership announced at a large public rally in the central Gaza Strip that it had finished forming the preparatory committee for the elections and was ready to participate immediately.

Other than expressing initiative to partake in upcoming elections, the group has been exerting heavy media pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to issue the election decree.

“We are pushing for Palestinian reunification, and we have made dozens of concessions for the sake of the country and for our people to complete reconciliation. And they are ready to appeal to the Palestinian street through the general elections,” said Hamas official Osama Al-Muzaini.

He also stressed the need to reconcile and end all divisions.

Member of the Hamas political bureau, Hussam Badran said that the group has reacted positively to Abbas’ invite to elections.

In a broadcast statement, Badran further pressured the PA head to issue an election decree.

He pointed out that there is a general Palestinian position that desires “guarantees for the freedom of elections and for the recognition of results.”

Separately, PA security forces arrested dozens of Hamas supporters in the West Bank in the past few days.

At least 66 Hamas supporters have been arrested or summoned for interrogation by PA security forces in recent days, according to Hamas spokesman Abdel Rahman Shadid.

Even though Hamas has welcomed Abbas’s initiative, saying it was planning to participate in the upcoming elections Shadid said that the PA campaign against Hamas supporters does not bode well for the prospects of holding a free and fair vote.

Hamas official Hazem Qassem said the crackdown was “a continuation of the Palestinian Authority’s delusion that it can uproot the presence of Hamas in the West Bank.” He urged the PA to halt “this national and moral crime, and create the appropriate atmosphere for free and fair elections.”



Türkiye Urges Iraq to Foster Positive Relations with Syria’s New Leadership

The fourth meeting of the Turkish-Iraqi High-Level Security Cooperation Mechanism in Ankara, August 2024 (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
The fourth meeting of the Turkish-Iraqi High-Level Security Cooperation Mechanism in Ankara, August 2024 (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Türkiye Urges Iraq to Foster Positive Relations with Syria’s New Leadership

The fourth meeting of the Turkish-Iraqi High-Level Security Cooperation Mechanism in Ankara, August 2024 (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
The fourth meeting of the Turkish-Iraqi High-Level Security Cooperation Mechanism in Ankara, August 2024 (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is on an official visit to Baghdad on Sunday to hold discussions with senior Iraqi officials on bilateral ties and regional and international developments.

During this visit, his fourth to Iraq since assuming office in June 2023, Fidan will meet with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, as well as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, and President Abdul Latif Rashid.

According to sources within the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agenda will cover key issues related to the growing relationship between the neighboring countries, which has seen significant progress over the past three years, alongside current regional developments.

Sources indicated that Fidan will emphasize his country’s commitment to further strengthening its ties with Iraq based on a positive agenda and an institutional framework. He will stress the activation of various cooperation mechanisms established during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq on April 22, 2024.

Fidan will also underscore Türkiye’s recognition of the importance of maintaining Iraq’s stability and security for the broader region, and its support for the Iraqi government’s efforts to counter the adverse effects of Israeli aggression and developments in Syria on Iraq’s stability.

Fidan is expected to advocate for constructive dialogue and neighborly relations between Baghdad and Syria’s new administration, emphasizing that such an approach would benefit both countries and the wider region.

The minister is also set to convey Türkiye’s expectations that Iraq officially designate the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a “terrorist organization” and take necessary steps to fully eliminate its presence within Iraqi territory.

On security and counterterrorism cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad, sources stated that Fidan will express satisfaction with the growing understanding between the two countries in these areas. He will highlight Ankara’s approval of Iraq’s official stance on the PKK and its anticipation that Baghdad will declare the party a terrorist organization and eradicate its presence entirely.

Türkiye continues its military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq. Ankara and Baghdad have agreed to coordinate their efforts against the group through a memorandum of understanding on military and security cooperation and counterterrorism. This agreement was signed by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler and his Iraqi counterpart Thabit Al-Abbasi during the fourth meeting of the High-Level Security Cooperation Mechanism in Ankara last August.

Fidan’s discussions will also address ways to enhance trade relations with Iraq, one of Türkiye’s most important economic partners, with a trade volume of $20 billion. He will call for the removal of artificial barriers to bilateral trade and reaffirm his country’s support for the strategic “Development Road” project, while emphasizing efforts to expedite its implementation.