Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Thursday that the PA will hold a general election if it fails to reach a reconciliation deal with Hamas.
During a celebration for the Palestinian Red Crescent, Shtayyeh said that “if there is no agreement with Hamas, we would turn to the people to have their say. We are ready for this,” Anadolu Agency reported.
“The Palestinian Authority and Hamas remain bitterly divided, but unified in a common approach to crushing dissent… Leaders who have been in power for more than a decade without elections should at the very least listen to criticism, not punish it.”https://t.co/OM1bMlNArG pic.twitter.com/5xA4jzLCvv
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) May 29, 2019
The PA – which is dominated by Fatah – has been engaged in a spat with Hamas since the latter won the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections in 2006. When the PA refused to concede defeat, a power struggle and conflict ensued, resulting in Hamas governing the besieged Gaza Strip and the PA governing the occupied West Bank.
Shtayyeh also discussed Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank, stressing that his government would prosecute anyone involved in facilitating Israeli settlement whether they were diplomats, companies or settlers.
RT 972mag "‘In their quest for a convenient truth, nothing is easier for Friedman and Greenblatt than to overlook the complex historical story of Silwan.’ https://t.co/BpMkKosJxu"
— Richard Hardigan (@RichardHardigan) July 5, 2019
Shtayyeh said:
“We saw an ambassador of great power taking part in demolishing Palestinian houses in Silwan… This has never happened in the history of the world’s diplomacy.”
His comments were likely referring to the participation of US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, and US President Donald Trump’s Advisor to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, in opening a settler tunnel dubbed “Pilgrims’ Road” under Palestinian houses in Jerusalem.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
