Member of Hamas Political Bureau Dr Salah al-Bardaweel said on Sunday that the popular conference being held in Gaza is not an alternative to the Palestinian Legislative Council.

However, he stressed that Hamas would continue striving to repair the PLO to become a comprehensive home for all the Palestinians.

“The meeting of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) slated to take place tomorrow is not national or legal, but it is an introduction for passing dangerous plans,” he said. “Otherwise, how can we explain the war against the popular marches in Gaza and what is the reason for undermining and excluding all Palestinians factions.”

He added: “What is needed from the PLO is to review its programme after it had conceded 78 per cent of the land of historic Palestine.”

Meanwhile, Dr Mahmoud al-Zahar, senior Hamas leader said: “We do not recognise the outcomes of the Council [the Palestinian National Council] which does not represent all the Palestinians.”

Background information

Without a national consensus and in the light of a widescale rejection among its members, the Palestinian Authority, Fatah and PLO insists on pushing for holding the Palestinian National Council in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

All the Palestinian factions, in addition to a large numnber of the senior Fatah leaders reject holding the meeting of the Palestinian National Council in Ramallah because it is an occupied area and many of the Palestinian factions, inclduing Hamas, the largest politcal faction, cannot be represented under the occupaiton.