Hamas, Fatah Consider Joint Elections List

Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. Reuters file photo
Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. Reuters file photo
TT

Hamas, Fatah Consider Joint Elections List

Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. Reuters file photo
Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. Reuters file photo

Hamas and Fatah movement are considering a joint list for the upcoming general elections, according to the head of Hamas politburo, Musa Abu Marzouk.

The Hamas official told al-Aqsa Radio that relations between the Palestinian Authority on one hand and the US administration and Israel on the other, along with the recent regional and Arab developments, made it imperative for Hamas to seek national unity.

He said that Hamas supports Fatah to overcome this stage and mobilize all Palestinian forces against the plans to end the Palestinian cause.

Abu Marzouq pointed out that the Palestinian reconciliation is an internal issue and is no longer sponsored by regional and international parties.

During previous rounds of talks, Fatah did not have any real intentions for reconciliation, according to Abu Marzouk.

Fatah and Hamas are expected to agree with other Palestinian factions on a date for the general elections.

The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that his movement and Fatah are considering running a joint list in Palestinian elections set to take place next year for the first time since the 2006 vote.

Haniyeh said Hamas had perceived “positive changes” in the West Bank as a result of reconciliation talks with Fatah aimed at forming a national unity government.

“We witnessed positive changes on the ground. I do not want to sound over-optimistic and preempt events but there are positive things.”

“What we hear from them in closed meetings is that they stress the importance of Hamas taking part, because Hamas has a right to be involved in the day-to-day running of the government,” Haniyeh said in statements carried by a website affiliated with the movement.



Turkish Soldier Killed in Clash in Northern Iraq, Defense Ministry Says 

A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
TT

Turkish Soldier Killed in Clash in Northern Iraq, Defense Ministry Says 

A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)

A Turkish soldier was killed on Monday in a clash with militants from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and Turkish airstrikes killed many militants, the Defense Ministry said.

The airstrikes also destroyed 21 PKK targets, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

Ankara uses the term "neutralized" to mean killed.

The soldier was killed in a clash in Gara region and Turkish air forces targeted PKK bases in Gara, Hakurk, Metina and Qandil, the ministry said.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.

Ankara has conducted years of cross-border military operations against militants that have left roughly half the Syrian territory bordering Türkiye and all of Iraqi territory bordering Türkiye controlled or overseen by Türkiye’s military.