Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, said that occupied Jerusalem is the essence of the conflict with Israel and “no deal may be concluded on the back of Jerusalem”.

Al-Bardawil added during an interview with the Al-Masirah program, today, Wednesday, on Al-Jazeera Mubasher, that "the Jerusalem elections are a final matter, as they are a clash between the legitimate rights of the Palestinians in the face of Israeli intransigence."

"The Israeli entity cannot allow us to exercise our legitimate rights, and from here it is necessary to lift the weapons of popular and peaceful resistance," he said.

Al-Bardawil stressed that Hamas has a national program for resistance based on "the consensus to impose the Palestinian will." And whoever joins this program is in an implicit alliance with the movement, "stressing that the movement does not want to return to the political conflict between the Palestinian factions.

Member of the political bureau of Hamas, Salah Al-Bardawil, to Al-Jazeera Mubasher: We call on those who warn against the deal of the century to stop security coordination with the Israeli enemy pic.twitter.com/zXuhNOTVUQ

- Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) April 28, 2021

He said, "We do not want to enter into any clash, neither with President Mahmoud Abbas, nor with the Fatah movement. Our struggle is with the occupier."

“Gaza is a unit for all Palestinians, regardless of political differences,” he added.

And the movement decided not to enter into any alliance with one party against another.

Al-Bardawil, who is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, called for a Palestinian national conference to discuss how to implement the agreement to hold elections in Jerusalem, despite the Israeli refusal.

Al-Bardawil explained that there is agreement and consensus between Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions that Jerusalem should be a central part of any Palestinian option, and it is the heart of the conflict with the enemy.

He added that the Palestinian people in occupied Jerusalem have said their word by going out on its streets and confronting the occupation forces, stressing that "the Palestinian people must fight their battle and obtain their right to elections in Jerusalem and all the Palestinian territories."

Will the Palestinian elections be postponed?

pic.twitter.com/hyySUqvENX

- Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) April 28, 2021

The spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeina, said that the Palestinian side had not received any response to the Authority’s request to hold elections in occupied Jerusalem.

He added that a meeting will be held, Thursday, in which this issue will be decided, stressing that if "Israel proceeded at the last moment to allow elections to be held in Jerusalem, the elections will take place on time. As for elections without Jerusalem, this will not happen under any circumstances."

Abu Rudeineh stressed that the official Palestinian position, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah movement see Jerusalem as a red line, and without it we will not accept elections.

Al-Bardawil considered that the correct logic today is based on either proceeding with the Palestinian elections on all Palestinian lands and imposing a fait accompli on the occupier or joining the owners of the deal of the century, stressing in the same context that "the deal of the century needs a Palestinian national stand to achieve national unity as a prerequisite to confront the enemy."

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Hamas: The elections in Jerusalem are a red line, and no Palestinian can accept the holding of elections without Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the cradle of the prophets, the gate to heaven, the end of the night journey, and the starting point of the mirage. Elections in # Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/5r8HHjOo7E

- The Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) April 28, 2021

"Red line"

Hamas affirmed in a statement, on Wednesday, that the elections in the occupied city of Jerusalem are a "red line" and that they will not give the cover to postpone or cancel them.

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."

The movement’s statement 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.