Sheikh Yasser Mansour, a leading figure in Hamas, called on the factions and the Palestinian Authority to stand united against Israeli statements calling for a ban on Hamas from participating in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
Mansour stated that Hamas is a resistance movement whose aim is to liberate the land from an occupation that wants to harness the factions and suppress their identity.
He added that the PA in particular must work to strengthen the ties between Palestinians and not heed to American and Israeli pressures to prevent Hamas from taking part in the elections.
Mansour told the Palestine News Network (PNN) that Hams is a moderate resistance movement, and that there is no distinction between moderate and not moderate in the movement, criticizing some accusations that Hamas is an extremist party.
He reaffirmed that Hamas would participate in the legislative and municipal elections and emphasized the need for the factions and citizens to participate and prepare well for these elections.
“The Israeli occupation seeks to obstruct the elections and is purposely slandering Hamas as a terrorist movement even though it [the occupation] is terrorist in all its actions,” Mansour said.
He also warned of some parties trying to obstruct the elections in some or all constituencies for fear that a certain faction or individual not from their party might get ahead.
