Palestine's Hamas Denies Reaching Agreement On Election Day With Fatah

GAZA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2020) The Gaza Strip-controlling Hamas movement has refuted the statement of the West Bank-controlling Fatah that they had reached an agreement on the date of elections in Palestine, Husam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a press release on Saturday.

This past Thursday, the Palestinian Authority's WAFA news agency reported, citing Fatah secretary-general Jibril Rajoub, that the two factions had agreed on holding elections in Palestine for the first time since 2006 in six months.

"The disseminated statements of final agreements and timetables are incorrect as we first plan to reach comprehensive nationwide agreements on all issues," Badran said.

According to the politician, Hamas' ongoing dialogue with Fatah is "not a replacement of a comprehensive nationwide dialogue with other factions, but rather a preparation for it."

The last Palestinian presidential and general elections took place in 2005 and 2006, respectively. After that, prospects for a new election became increasingly unlikely as the antagonism between Fatah and Hamas grew stronger. Disagreements between the two parties have made it near impossible to hold elections until now.