Dr. Ahmad Bahar, deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), stated Thursday that any elections without reconciliation and unity will not be accepted by the Palestinian people as such elections would lead to further divisions. Bahar added that national unity talks, far away from American pressures and the Quartet are the only means to achieve unity.
He also said that the Palestinian people want free and fair elections, and that Hamas cannot accept the conditions of the Quartet Committee as a precondition for the elections.
The Quartet said that the Hamas movement must recognize Israel, recognize the previously signed peace deals, and renounce violence.
Hamas said that it is a resistance group fighting for liberation, and that it cannot recognize an entity that occupied and kills the Palestinian people.
Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad rejected any unilateral decisions and stressed on the importance of achieving unity before elections are held.
