“Here we are, despite all the obstacles that you know too well, preparing ourselves to hold parliamentary elections, followed by presidential elections, with the participation of all factions and political parties.” These were the words of President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine during his virtual address at the 75th UNGA opening session.
These promises echoed those of Jibril Rajoub, Secretary-General of the Fatah Central Committee, who told pressmen that the Fatah faction and the Islamist Hamas faction had come to an agreement on holding to hold the first elections in Palestine in nearly 15 years.
Issues to Consider for Palestine
• This move comes after the new deals normalizing relations between Israel, UAE and Bahrain. For Palestine, this constitutes a threat to the long-standing Arab demands that Israel ends its decades-long occupation and agree on a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Hence, the need to form a united front.
• There have been numerous attempts at reconciliation by both parties in previous years, including a prisoner exchange agreement in 2012 and a unity government two years later, but these efforts have failed.
• The last time parliamentary elections held in Palestine was in 2006 when Hamas won in an unexpected landslide.
• Hamas has since ruled Gaza, while Fatah has run the Palestinian Authority, based in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
• Days after the announcement from Fatah leaders, Hamas stated it had reservations about the news that it had reached an agreement with its rivals to hold new elections for the presidency and parliament, the Palestine Legislative Council. Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran told the press that Hamas was seeking a comprehensive national agreement on all issues, and not just on elections. “The dialogue with Fatah is not a substitute for a comprehensive national dialogue, but rather a preparation for it.”
Hamas has demanded that President Abbas lift the economic sanctions he imposed on the Gaza Strip two years ago. The President’s response to this demand will be the first step toward ending Hamas rivalry with Fatah and forging stronger relations in their collective goal of stopping the annexation of the West Bank.
