Palestinian President wants early elections

Tuesday January 01, 2008 12:21 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC rami at imemc dot org

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas invited Monday all Palestinian parties including the rival Hamas to early elections, in a televised speech from the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abbas's call is apparently meant to revive Palestinian politics, which has been marred by a violent Hamas-Fateh power struggle since December2006, when he first called for such elections.

"I invite all parties for early elections and I call on Hamas to cede Gaza before any elections", Abbas was quoted as saying.

Hamas , which has been in control of Gaza since June2006, has been refusing to hold elections.

Hamas's spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, told a press conference yesterday " Abbas is betting on the Zionists and Americans not on a dialogue".

Abbas's call this time is unlike previous ones, bearing a reconciliatory tone.

While Abbas was speaking in Ramallah, six people were reportedly killed and 50 others wounded when Hamas-led forces banned by force celebrations, marking the 43 anniversary of Fateh founding.

Hamas and Fateh have engaged in a power struggle since Abbas first called for early elections in December2006. The fight has so far claimed more than 450 Palestinian men, women and children.

In June2006, Hamas has taken complete control over Gaza, after routing Fatah-loyal security services. President Abbas of Fateh outlawed the Islamist group and formed a caretaker government in Ramallah, comprised mainly of Fatah.

Hamas won the January 2006's parliamentary elections, for which the international community and Israel boycotted a Hamas-led government. Hamas now insists that any elections should be held by 2010.

In a time the secular Fateh's government is committed to peace-making with Israel, Hamas continues to call for a long-time truce with the Israeli state, a proposal Israel has already rejected.

Nazzal: Abbas not concerned with national dialogue

[ 31/12/2007 - 11:14 AM ]

BEIRUT, (PIC)--

Mohamed Nazzal, a member of Hamas political bureau, charged on Sunday that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas is not concerned with national dialogue or unity and that he intentionally puts obstacles in the way of any initiative to end the inter-Palestinian crisis in response to the Zio-American demands, renewing Hamas's call for unconditional dialogue to resolve the crisis.

"We along with the resistance factions will not allow Bush to secure his interests at the expense of our national cause and we will not allow Abbas's entourage to sell our cause and waive our rights; we will cut off the hand that dares to sign any agreement relinquishing the refugees' right to return, Jerusalem or any of the inalienable national rights," Nazzal highlighted

Nazzal's speech came during a rally held in Beirut to mark the 20th anniversary of Hamas, where the Hamas leader reviewed the struggle stages that Hamas passed through in addition to its achievements over the past twenty years at the political and resistance levels.

The Hamas political leader also underlined that Abbas and his entourage's bet on the collapse of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in light of the Israeli siege imposed on it "is a pure illusion," adding that the siege has, on the contrary, increased the existing popular rallying around Hamas.

He attributed the reason for Hamas's wide popularity to the remarkable successes at the level of resistance and charitable, reformist and social works in addition to the transparency and credibility the movement enjoys.

Nazzal talked about the repressive and arbitrary practices carried out by the PA security apparatuses against the Palestinian people and resistance fighters in the West Bank within the security coordination with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), pointing to the statements made by head of the unconstitutional government in Ramallah Salam Fayyad in which he expressed his deep grief and sorrow for the death of two Israeli soldiers at the hands of Palestinian resistance fighters in Al-Khalil.

In another context, the member of Hamas political bureau also talked about the difficult conditions experienced by the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and called on the Lebanese government to reconsider the laws that are related to the existence of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, underscoring Palestinian refugees' refusal of any attempt to resettle them in Lebanon.

He called for reconstructing the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon as soon as possible in order for its Palestinian residents to return to their houses and called for forming a united Palestinian authority including all factions without exception to run the affairs of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

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