Commenting on the attack on the Palestinian political activist and candidate for the parliament Nizar Banat’s home in Hebron, Hamas stated the following:

We denounce the heinous attack on the house of Nizar Banat, the candidate for the Palestinian parliament, in the West Bank town of Dura in Hebron.

As we deplore the idea that Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces were accompanying the gunmen who opened fire at Banat’s home, the officially state-sponsored attacks on Palestinian citizens for expressing their opinions is a serious development that paves the way for a stage of chaos that should be avoided. 

Expressing opinion against the PA leadership’s decision to postpone the Palestinian elections should remain guaranteed.

Postponing the Palestinian votes and its repercussions on the Palestinian cause and interests should be discussed by the political elites and electoral lists formed in the run-up to the elections.

We believe that suppressing and intimidating political activists will worsen the situation of freedoms in Palestine.

We affirm that taking a unilateral decision to postpone the elections without consulting all Palestinian parties, not seeking solutions for the challenges facing the Palestinian vote, and not coming up with a national strategy will keep the state of uncertainty witnessed by the Palestinian politics; this requires a comprehensive national dialogue away from monopoly.

Member of Hamas Political Bureau Musa Dodeen

Sunday

20 Ramadan 1442

2 May 2021