Islamic Jihad Ready to Participate in Palestinian Election

Gaza, MINA – Member of the Political Bureau of Islamic Jihad in Palestine Mohammed Al-Hindi announced that his movement is ready to take part in the general elections of the Palestinian National Council.

Speaking to Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, Al-Hindi stressed that the election “should” be aimed at reconstructing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as a “liberation organization not as a submissive organization”, MEMO reported.

He stressed that the beginning of ending the internal division of Palestine is unity against the Israeli occupation.

He also stressed the importance of cutting ties and ending partnerships with “Zionists”, reaffirming the importance of: “Popular activity and strife with enemies in the West Bank as a means of reviving morale for the Palestinian people”.

He also emphasized that the normalization of Arab relations with Israel, the agreement of the century and the Israeli annexation plan prove that reliance on a partnership with Zionists is wrong.

Al-Hindi also urged that the PLO should become a reference for the Palestinian Authority (PA), not the other way around, and because the PLO is the “umbrella for all Palestinians”, it must determine all policies.

The Islamic Jihad leader stressed that the ongoing dialogue between Fatah and Hamas is a basic and supporting factor for any efforts aimed at regaining Palestinian unity.

Palestine’s two largest factions, Fatah and Hamas agreed to hold the first elections in Palestine after the last election nearly 15 years ago.

The vote is scheduled in the next six months, under the agreement of Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniya.

The agreement was reached at a meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey, after Abbas asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to support Palestinian reconciliation efforts in an effort to unite Palestinian ranks against the US Middle East plan and normalization between the two Arab states – the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and Israel. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)