The Palestinians await the comprehensive national dialogue to be held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, during the first week of next month, and the Palestinian factions in dialogue are awaiting thorny files that will determine the fate of the first elections to be held in the Palestinian territories in 15 years.
Sources from the factions told Al-Jazeera Net that the latter is awaiting an official Egyptian invitation specifying the date for the start of the dialogue, which is likely to be the beginning of next February, and its results will outline the features of the next phase in light of the presidential decree that set election dates in 3 successive stages.
Last Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree to hold Palestinian elections in 3 stages, so that legislative elections would be held on May 21 this year, followed by presidential elections on July 31, and the elections for the National Council on August 31. Next.
According to the aforementioned sources, the success of the dialogue will constitute the most prominent progress towards ending the internal division that has continued since mid-2007, but at the same time they expressed fear that a failure would return the situation to "square zero" due to the sensitivity of the files on the table.
Al-Jazeera Net learned from identical sources that the dialogue will be limited to a time limit of 3 days and not more than a week, and will be devoted to discussing files related to the elections only, and if it succeeds, it will be crowned with a code of honor that guarantees commitment to the conduct of the election process in accordance with the law and commitment to its results.
The most prominent files
Among the most prominent files on the dialogue agenda - according to previous sources - the judiciary and security empowered to supervise and protect the elections, public freedoms and the freedom of electoral advertising, electoral lists, the elections of occupied Jerusalem, ways to enable Jerusalemites to participate in elections and elections in the event that Israel prevents them from taking place inside the city, and the mechanisms of the council elections. The national (parliament), and the alternatives available in countries that prevent elections from taking place on their lands, such as Jordan.
The Palestinian factions are scheduled to meet in a preparatory meeting in the Gaza Strip next week, in the presence of the Central Elections Committee, to prepare the atmosphere before heading to Cairo.
These developments followed suit after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) officially approved the holding of successive elections, followed by President Abbas issuing the decree announcing the holding of parliamentary, presidential and National Council elections in 3 stages.
According to the presidential decree, the results of the Legislative Council elections will be the first stage in the formation of the National Council of the Palestine National Liberation Organization, which the decree specified for the completion of its elections and its formation on 31 August.
The last general Palestinian elections were held in early 2006, in which Hamas won the majority of the seats in the Legislative Council, while presidential elections were held a year earlier, in which Mahmoud Abbas won.
Miniature government
An official source in Hamas said that during the Cairo dialogue the movement would propose the formation of a miniature national consensus government that would assume the responsibility of creating the appropriate atmosphere and climates for the elections.
The source added that "fortifying the elections, ensuring their integrity and protecting the safety of the voter and candidate - especially in the West Bank - is not achieved through the Shtayyeh government."
Muhammad Shtayyeh - a member of the Central Committee of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) - has headed the government since April 2019 to succeed Rami Hamdallah, which was formed under the Beach Agreement between Fatah and Hamas in 2014.
A prominent leader in Hamas, Wasfi Qabha, said in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net that the movement will present ideas in Cairo that will push for the success of the electoral process, "and after we have provided everything to Fatah, we only want integrity, transparency and fortification of the elections."
His title acknowledged that the thorny files awaiting the factions in the Cairo dialogue require concessions from all parties, explaining that the reality is complicated in the West Bank in terms of security pursuit of Hamas leaders and activists, which requires guarantees for the freedom of electoral campaigning and the safety of voters and candidates, he said.
On the other hand, Fatah had demanded that Hamas release about 80 of its activists, and said that they were political prisoners in Gaza prisons.
A leader in the Fatah movement calls on President Abbas to unify the movement before holding the elections https://t.co/q0IebW3yw0 pic.twitter.com/ZicUMx8oeZ
- Palestine News Network (@shfanews_net) January 16, 2021
Regarding the possibility of running the elections with a joint list with Fatah to overcome possible differences, Qabha said, "This option is on the table, and Hamas does not object, but there should be legislation that protects the right of the deputy and his vote in the Legislative Council in the event of Israeli arrest."
Jerusalem elections
The Hamas leader stressed that his movement rejects any alternative to the participation of Jerusalemites in the elections, but he said that the movement will listen in Cairo to the options presented if Israel refuses to do so "provided that these options do not recognize the reality of the occupation of the holy city and the changes that followed America's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the entity." .
On the other hand, Fayez Abu Eita, Deputy Secretary of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, indicated the keenness of President Abbas and the leadership on the full participation of Jerusalem in the elections.
Abu Eita added that Fatah is ready to compete with its list, but at the same time it is open to all the options that will be presented in the Cairo dialogue.
The Fatah leader explained that the issue of electoral lists is among the files that will be covered by the Cairo dialogue, adding that the results of the dialogue will determine for each faction the way in which it will contest the elections.
Wajih Abu Zarifa, head of the Palestinian Center for Democratic Dialogue and Political Development, said in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net that there is an opportunity for success despite the existence of great obstacles, but there is no way for everyone but to work to overcome them, otherwise the failure of the Cairo dialogue will lead to serious problems.