The Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo announced that they had reached an agreement regarding the elections in accordance with the presidential decree, and confirmed their agreement to release all those detained on a factional background.
The statement stipulated ensuring the neutrality of the security services in the West Bank and Gaza and their non-interference in the elections, calling for addressing the results of the division on comprehensive and fair national foundations, and stressing that mechanisms should be taken to ensure that elections in Jerusalem are held as candidates and elections.
The factions also agreed to form a "Election Cases Court" by consensus between the judges of Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, "the court is exclusively responsible for monitoring everything related to the electoral process, its results, and thorny issues without other judicial authorities."
The factions agreed that President Mahmoud Abbas issue a decree forming the court.
According to Al-Jazeera correspondent Net Mervat Sadiq, the statement clarified that "the national partnership is a complete path that begins with the elections for the Legislative Council, which is the first stage of the elections for the National Council, followed by the elections for the presidency, and then the completion of the elections for the National Council by elections wherever possible and consensus where it cannot guarantee participation." All Palestinians are in the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. "
The factions decided to hold another meeting in Cairo next March, in the presence of the Presidency of the National Council and the Central Elections Committee, to agree on the foundations and mechanisms during which the formation of the new National Council will be completed, with the aim of activating and developing the Palestine Liberation Organization and strengthening the resistant national program.
In their statement, the factions pledged to abide by the timetable set by the legislative and presidential elections decree, and stressed support for the Central Elections Committee and work to overcome any obstacles it faces in order to be able to carry out its tasks.
The statement emphasized that the Palestinian police are exclusively responsible for securing the polling stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and their presence is in accordance with the law.
Launching freedoms
The statement announced the agreement to release public freedoms, spread the political freedom guaranteed by the law, release detainees on a factional background or for reasons related to freedom of opinion, and guarantee the right to political and national action for all Palestinian factions in the West Bank and Gaza.
The statement also pledged to stop prosecuting citizens for political affiliation or opinion in order to provide an appropriate environment for conducting free and fair elections.
The statement spoke of ensuring full freedom of political advertising, publishing, printing, holding political and electoral meetings and financing them, in accordance with the provisions of the election law without harassment.
The factions have also pledged to address the divisions in all their humanitarian, social, employment and legal aspects on comprehensive and fair national bases, free from manifestations of geographical and political discrimination through a committee formed by consensus and submits its report to the president, who refers it to the post-election government of the Legislative Council for implementation.
According to a previous presidential decree, Palestinian elections are scheduled to take place in three stages this year, legislative on May 22, presidential on July 31, and elections to the National Council on August 31.
The last Palestinian elections for the Legislative Council (Parliament) were held in early 2006, and resulted in Hamas winning a majority, while it was preceded by a year of presidential elections, in which the current president, Mahmoud Abbas, won.