Hamas movement is following up the developments concerning the Palestinian elections and the calls for national meetings to discuss how to hold the elections in Jerusalem in the heels of leaks about cancelling or postponing the elections unless an Israeli approval is obtained to hold the elections in Jerusalem as stipulated in the Oslo Accords. 

In light of these developments and their consequences, Hamas states the following:

1-The election is an inalienable right for the Palestinian people. The vote, which is a constitutional and political right for Palestinian generations, has been long postponed. No one is entitled to waiver this basic national right in any way.

2-The election, with its three stages, is a significant entry point to healing the Palestinian division and restructuring the Palestinian House; all Palestinian factions have consensually agreed to go for the vote to achieve a true national unity.

3-Holding the elections in Jerusalem is a redline. No Palestinian would accept excluding Jerusalem from the Palestinian vote. The issue that should be addressed is how to impose our will and hold the elections in Jerusalem. On the other hand, no one should argue about the possibility of organising the elections in Jerusalem.

4-The election day in Jerusalem should be marked as a national day on which Palestinian people should struggle with the Israeli occupation to impose their will and force it to cave in to their demands. The Palestinian rights should be restored by resistance, not be appeals to the Israeli occupation. We believe that this is the position of all Palestinians, especially the Jerusalemites, who have been triumphant in the latest battles with the Israeli occupation in the areas of Bab al-Amoud and Bab al-Rahma. Such heroic victories should encourage us to hold the elections in Jerusalem.

5-Hamas rejects cancelling or calling off the elections. We think that the Palestinian factions should hold a national meeting to discuss how to organise the vote in Jerusalem without seeking the permission of the Israeli occupation. This endeavour is in line with all previous national stances, such as abandoning and withdrawing from the Oslo Accords instead of holding it according to Israeli protocols, which threatens the Palestinians’ rights and their sovereignty over their land and eternal capital. 

6-Hamas never takes part in the endeavours to cancel or postpone the elections. The responsibility for cancelling or calling off the Palestinian vote falls on the party has succumbed to the Israeli occupation’s veto aiming to keep the Palestinian division and taking advantage of the Palestinian split. Additionally, we believe that postponing the elections is a result of external pressure by parties that are not concerned with the interests of the Palestinian people.

7-We do not absolve the Israeli occupation of its responsibility for this move, as it is behind depriving the Palestinians of their rights. We also hold international players that advocate for freedom and democracy full responsibility for the Israeli occupation’s hostile demeanour towards the Palestinian people.

Jerusalem will remain our first Qibla and constant political compass and the eternal capital of Palestine.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas

16 Ramadan 1442

28 April 2021