In a letter to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, Tayyeb Abdul Raheem, member of the Fateh Central Committee, said on Monday, that he is quitting the Fateh list for the upcoming elections, warning that elections should not be conducted under occupation.
In his letter, which also addresses members of the executive committee, Abdul-Raheem warned of the “consequences and risks of holding the Fateh primaries, and general elections, under the current conditions, which could lead to a crisis within the movement.
He added that conducting general elections in the Palestinian territories, under occupation, will give it legitimacy instead of ending it.
“For those concerns, I find myself incapable of participating in the upcoming elections” Abdul-Raheem said, “I hope that my name will be removed from the Fateh election list”
Wondering about the mobility of the candidates in the West Bank during the elections, Abdul Raheem said that there are no chances for Israel’s withdrawal from areas where the election will be held, adding that the military checkpoints and closure will obstruct the movement of the residents, and the candidates, and thus hinder their ability to vote.
Israeli reoccupied areas A and B after the outbreak of the Intifada on September 28, 2000, and closed the Palestinian areas before reoccupying the entire West Bank during the “Defensive Shield” operation in 2002.
Also, Abdul-Raheem asked the members of Fateh’s Central Committee to give the new qualified generation the chance to run the movement, and support its leading role in the political system.
Author Talal Okal, published an article in Al Ayyam daily newspaper, and said that holding the elections under the current circumstances could be a burden on the Palestinian cause and national interests.
He added that holding the elections under the recent circumstances would have a disastrous impact on the Palestinian national cause.
