The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas rejects using Jerusalem as a pretext to evade the general Palestinian elections.

As Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem were struggling for dignity and sovereignty and scoring victories over the Israeli occupation – forcing it to reverse its measures and restoring their rights at the gates of Al Aqsa Mosque, Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah took a decision insisting on leaving the Palestinian decision in general and the decision Jerusalemites in particular in the hands of the Israeli occupation as they called off the Palestinian elections and turned their back to the national track adopted by all Palestinian factions. Their decision served only their narrow partisan interests.

We reject using Jerusalem as a pretext to evade this national necessity as Palestinian Jerusalemites are proving themselves to be able to regain their rights by force.

Thus, we are wondering if liberating Jerusalem and preserving its Palestinian identity and its people’s rights are achieved by appealing to the Israeli occupation and asking permission from it, or by defying it and restoring the Palestinian rights just as how the heroic Jerusalemites are doing these days.

We call on the Palestinian Authority and Fatah leadership to review this dangerous decision and act in line with the Palestinian consensus for the sake of reinforcing the Palestinian unity, achieving reconciliation, ending division and enabling all Palestinians to exercise their constitutional rights.

We urge Palestinian national and Islamic factions and electoral lists to jointly face off this decision until this political sin is rectified.

Hamas official Raafat Nasif

18 Ramadan 1442

30 April 2021