The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants to form a national unity government following the postponement of elections, announced presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
Abu Rudeineh told the official Palestine Radio that after delaying the polls, officials will be to hold talks with the factions, establish a national unity government, strengthen the role of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and hold a meeting for the Central Council to set the policies and strategies.
“Talks will be with all factions. Talks started and efforts are underway,” Abu Rudeineh said.
He affirmed that “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. The issue is not about elections, and everyone having a reservation on the decision to postpone the elections should understand the US and Israeli game and the regional complicity aiming to establish a fragile entity, which will not be allowed.”
Abu Rudeineh warned of a misleading campaign carried out by suspicious parties to undermine the Palestinian national will.
He stressed that “these voices are worthless because since the establishment of the PLO the leadership has not allowed any conspiracy to be passed against our people.”
President Mahmoud Abbas issued Friday a decree postponing the general elections after Israeli authorities prevented them from being held in occupied Jerusalem.
His move was widely criticized.
Hamas said Abbas is subject to the will of the Palestinian people, noting that the decision to postpone the polls has no credible justification.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called for a comprehensive national meeting, adding that he informed Abbas of several solutions, including holding elections in the al-Aqsa Square, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or the Waqf schools and Palestinian institutions.
If Israeli forces attack the ballot boxes, the whole world will witness their denial of Palestinians rights, he added.
“If the Oslo Agreement protocols are respected, the postponement of the elections would mean the confiscation of the political rights of the Palestinians,” he warned.
Haniyeh said he was surprised by Abbas’s statement that Hamas needs to agree to the legal requirements for running in the elections, noting that the movement’s recognition of international requirements was never discussed during the preparations for the polls.
The postponement could return Palestinian domestic politics to square one, Haniyeh remarked, stressing that Hamas wants to avoid Palestinian internal political conflicts and continue dialogue and reconciliation.
Hamas’ demand for an inclusive dialogue was adopted by the Palestinian NGOs Network in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which also called for a “comprehensive national dialogue that includes all political forces and civil society to find serious solutions to the internal disputes.”
Fatah did not immediately comment on the calls for the dialogue, but Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement is consulting with Hamas on the next step, including the formation of a national unity government.
