The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said today that the elections in occupied Jerusalem are a "red line" and that it will not give the cover to postpone or cancel them.
She also stressed that "it is not permissible to depend on the Israeli agreement regarding Jerusalem."
The elections are expected to take place in 3 phases during the current year: legislative (parliamentary) on May 22, presidential on July 31, and the National Assembly on August 31.
However, strong estimates suggested that the Palestinian leadership, at its meeting next Thursday, would postpone the general elections to an unspecified date, due to the lack of a response from Israel to allow them to take place in occupied Jerusalem.
In a statement, the movement stated that it rejects the idea of postponing or canceling the Palestinian elections, and believes that the solution is to meet at the national level to discuss mechanisms for imposing elections in Jerusalem without permission or coordination with the Israeli occupation.
And it called on all political forces, factions and candidate lists not to give the cover to postpone or cancel the elections, and to work on identifying mechanisms to impose them in Jerusalem.
Hamas said that the elections, in their three stages, are an important entry point for ending the division and putting the Palestinian home in order.
It also considered that "the postponement of the elections comes in response to pressure from other parties that do not care about the interest of the Palestinian people. The movement affirmed that no Palestinian can accept holding elections without Jerusalem, our eternal capital."
Election center in the Gaza Strip (Anatolia)
Not to be subject to dependence
For his part, Alaa Hamidan, a spokesman for the Hamas-affiliated "Jerusalem is our date" electoral list, said that his list refuses to postpone the elections, adding in an interview with Anadolu Agency, "We are in favor of holding elections in all the Palestinian territories, including the occupied city of Jerusalem."
He added, "Jerusalem should not be a pretext for postponement, nor should we be mortgaged to the Israeli approval regarding Jerusalem."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials have often stated that elections cannot take place without Jerusalem, as it is the future capital of the Palestinian state.
A member of the Central Committee of the National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Hussein al-Sheikh, said yesterday to the official news agency that the Israeli position on holding elections in occupied Jerusalem is still negative.