Senior Hamas leaders greet PLO delegation in Gaza City
Senior Hamas leaders greet PLO delegation in Gaza CityFlash 90

Hamas made clear on Monday that it is against any postponement of the Palestinian Authority (PA) legislative elections that are scheduled to take place next month.

"We will not be part of the decision to postpone the elections," said a spokesperson for the terrorist organization who was quoted by Ynet.

“The postponement of the election is not justified and we oppose it. A postponement due to an Israeli refusal to hold them in Jerusalem is a surrender to the will of the occupier. There is an opportunity to turn this refusal into an open popular campaign against Israel in Jerusalem," added the Hamas spokesperson.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently issued a decree ordering general elections in PA-assigned territories.

The decree states that legislative elections will take place on May 22. A “presidential” election will take place on July 31. It sets a deadline of August 31 for establishing the Palestinian National Council.

The PA has continuously demanded that Israel permit Arabs residing in eastern Jerusalem to vote in the elections. In this regard, PA officials have been working in the international arena in an attempt to get Israel to agree to this demand.

The PA has in the past used Israel’s refusal to permit Jerusalem Arabs to vote as an excuse not to hold elections at all.

Last week, a Hamas official warned that any postponement of the elections would deal a heavy blow to efforts to reconcile between Hamas and Fatah.