RAMALLAH, Palestine, Oct 7 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, announced that, the Palestinian leadership insists on holding elections, in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Abbas’ announcement was made during a joint meeting of his Fatah movement’s Central Committee, the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and senior security chiefs.
“The Palestinian elections will be held in all the Palestinian territories,” said Abbas.
He said, it was agreed to form two committees, which include members from Fatah Central Committee and the PLO Executive Committee – “the two committees to coordinate preparations for the elections.”
“The two committees will meet with the Central Elections Commission and hold contact with the Islamic Hamas movement and other factions, as well as Israeli bodies,” said Abbas.
The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in Jan, 2006, where Hamas had overwhelmingly won the elections and dominated the parliament of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The PA parliament has remained inoperative since the start of the internal Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas in 2007, when the latter had seized control of the Gaza Strip.
On financial ties with Israel, Abbas said that, “a long time ago, we agreed with the Israeli side to form a joint technical committee, to discuss all outstanding financial issues between the two sides.”
“The Israeli government recently agreed to reactivate the joint technical committee to discuss financial issues between us,” said Abbas.
Abbas also unveiled that there is an initial agreement reached with Israel, on previewing the Paris Economic Treaty signed between Israel and the Palestinians in Paris in 1994, that rules the economic and financial ties between Israel and the PA.– NNN-WAFA