14 Palestinian factions agree to stand in elections

Fatah is ready to run in the Palestinian elections alongside Hamas, member of the movement’s Central Committee Azzam Al-Ahmad said yesterday,

In an interview with Al-Resalah, Al-Ahmad said that Hanna Nasser, the head of the Elections Committee, had passed “positive” messages about Hamas’ response to Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas’ conditions.

He said that Nasser had not handed over Hamas’ response and said: “We hope that we are not shocked with an embarrassing reply when Abbas receives Hamas’ message.”

The head of Fatah’s parliamentarian bloc said that his movement wants the elections to end the internal division and unite the Palestinians.

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He stressed that Fatah aims to use the elections as a means to end the division, which is “a big project”.

During a press conference held jointly on Tuesday with Nasser in Gaza, Chief of Hamas’ Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh announced that he had handed over the movement’s “positive” reply to Abbas’ conditions.

Abbas had called for parliamentarian elections to be held and followed three months later with presidential elections.

Fourteen Palestinian factions agreed to a request this week by Abbas to hold parliamentary and presidential elections within the next year.