Palestinians: "Hamas Is Not Afraid of Elections"

[] [Palestinians: "Hamas Is Not Afraid of Elections"]( by Khaled Abu Toameh • July 1, 2019 at 5:00 am [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Addthis]( [Send]( [Print]( - New elections [the initiative of Mahmoud Abbas] are certain to result in the creation of another Hamas-controlled entity in the West Bank. The Palestinians would end up with two Hamas-run mini-states, one in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip. - If Fatah members are being systematically targeted and tortured by Hamas for expressing their views, how will they ever be allowed to conduct election campaigns that challenge the rulers of Hamas in the Gaza Strip? - "Hamas is not afraid of elections. In fact, it's Abbas who's afraid of elections because public opinion polls have shown that he and Fatah will be defeated by Hamas. Despite our mistakes, Hamas remains the conscience of the Palestinians because it does not conduct security coordination [with Israel] and does not steal the money of the people." — Mohammed Nazzal, senior leader, Hamas. Pictured: Gunmen from the Palestinian Fatah faction occupy the Palestinian Legislative Council building in Ramallah and fire shots in the air, on January 28, 2006, in protest of Hamas' victory over their party in elections held three days prior. (Photo by Zharan Hammad/Getty Images) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says that he is ready to hold long-overdue presidential and parliamentary elections, and has even instructed the Palestinian Central Elections Commission to start preparing for the vote. Abbas seems to be taking quite a gamble. There is a real possibility that his rivals in Hamas will manage to push him off the presidential throne he has been occupying so persistently for the past fourteen years. Hamas leaders have responded by welcoming the initiative to hold new elections. The leaders say they are not afraid of elections: they are confident that their movement will win. Hamas leaders are clearly hoping that if and when new elections are held, they would facilitate its takeover of the Palestinian Authority (PA) presidency and the Palestinian Legislative Council. [Continue Reading Article]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Donate]( Copyright © Gatestone Institute, All rights reserved. You are subscribed to this list as {EMAIL} You can change how you receive these emails: [Update your subscription preferences]( or [Unsubscribe from this list]( [Gatestone Institute]( 14 East 60 St., Suite 705, New York, NY 10022