"Abbas Elections" Has the Palestinian split turned into separation?

Raed Moussa-Gaza

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would call upon his return to Ramallah for general elections in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, and hold those who object to it responsible for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Abbas did not specify whether his call included legislative and presidential elections, which observers described as "vague and unclear."

Hamas was quick to respond by announcing its readiness for inclusive general elections, including presidential and legislative elections, and elections to the PLO National Council.

The head of the media department of Hamas abroad Raafat once to Al Jazeera Net that the call for elections need to "a comprehensive national vision and a unified and clear."

"The elections and national issues cannot be dealt with in a piecemeal and piecemeal way. We need a comprehensive Palestinian vision that addresses Palestinian issues at home and abroad. This requires a comprehensive dialogue, leading to inclusive elections at all levels and with national consensus," Marra said.

He stressed that Hamas can not accept only legislative elections, the elections must include the legislative, the presidency and the National Council, wondering "Why focus on the Legislative Council and ignore the rest of the benefits?".

Abbas's Constitutional Court issued a decision late last year to dissolve the legislature, in which Hamas won a majority in the last elections in early 2006.

He once called President Abbas's call and focused only on the legislative elections "a systematic sabotage and disruption of any Palestinian understanding that achieves the supreme national interest."

The Hamas leader said that the movement wants a comprehensive dialogue that achieves national reconciliation that ends all forms of disagreement and contributes to protecting the Palestinian cause in light of the serious targeting at home and abroad to undermine the foundations of the issue.

The right of the citizen
Hamas's response did not seem to persuade Fatah. Fayez Abu Eita, deputy secretary of its Revolutionary Council, said Hamas was unclear in its position.

Abu Eita told Al Jazeera Net that Abbas has exhausted all possible options to reach an agreement with Hamas to end the division, but all attempts have failed, leaving only the option of elections and the appeal of the will of the Palestinian voter.

He stressed that this option will not be subject to the consent of any party, because elections are a political and constitutional right of the Palestinian citizen.

On the options available to Abbas in the event that Hamas prevents the holding of elections in Gaza, Abu Eita said that the Central Election Commission is able to find appropriate mechanisms to overcome obstacles, and does not contradict the law and the Constitution.

Writer and political analyst Hani Habib believes that Abbas is serious this time in calling for elections, even if he had to hold them in the West Bank and Jerusalem without Gaza.

Habib explained to Al Jazeera Net that Abbas may find in "proportional representation and electronic voting" an option to overcome the possibilities of Israel to prevent elections in occupied Jerusalem, and Hamas to hold them in Gaza.

But Habib believes that the use of electronic voting does not give legitimacy to the elections and their results, due to the absence of censorship and judicial authority.

He said that Abbas would press ahead with the elections, which would, in his view, move the Palestinian situation from "division to complete disengagement" and would give Hamas "an instrument of innocence." It wants it to hold Abbas fully responsible for what will happen to the Palestinian reality.

With regard to the position of the eight factions on these developments, which "torpedo" its initiative for reconciliation, Habib described these factions as "unable to take real positions and hold the responsibility of any party."