Jibril Rajoub
Jibril RajoubReuters

Jabril Rajoub, secretary of the Fatah Central Committee, says that there have been no contacts with Hamas regarding the compilation of a joint slate that will run in the upcoming Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections.

In an interview with Palestine TV on Sunday, Rajoub confirmed that the Fatah movement, headed by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, would run in the elections on an independent list.

Rajoub noted that the Fatah movement did not offer any organization to join a united slate, even though a number of organizations had approached it on the issue.

Rajoub also said that Marwan Barghouti, who is serving several life sentences in Israel for his role in terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada, accepted the strategic concept related to the election as presented to him by a senior Fatah official and is committed to it. The remarks imply that Barghouti is not planning to run on a separate list in the election.

According to Rajoub, there is a Palestinian consensus on the importance of holding elections in eastern Jerusalem. He stressed that "we will not allow the occupation to disrupt the process."