ALBAWABA - Six major Palestinian groups, including Hamas, were discussing the prospect of competing together in the next Palestinian legislative elections on a single unified electoral list, several Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
The proposal came after a series of meetings in Cairo where representatives of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Reform Current within Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and supporters of former Fatah leader Nasser al-Qudwa discussed how to coordinate their participation in the elections scheduled for November.
Sources stated the prospective alliance would go up against Fatah’s official slate and other new political groups anticipated to join the campaign. Negotiations are ongoing with participants said to be working toward a joint political platform that might bring together a wide coalition of Palestinian factions.
If it happens, it would be the first time the Palestinian Islamic Jihad would have taken part in legislative elections. The group boycotted prior parliamentary ballots, including the 1996 election, whereas Hamas ran in the 2006 elections and won a legislative majority.
Participants in the negotiations noted that no final agreement has been reached on the coalition’s structure or political agenda, but they regarded the talks as positive, with wide support among the factions involved for the idea of a united national list.
During the consultations, bilateral and multilateral meetings have been held to bridge political divides and provide Palestinian people a unified electoral agenda.
But it is still not certain whether the elections will be held as scheduled. Some Palestinian officials fear that President Mahmoud Abbas may delay or even cancel the poll because of widening splits within his Fatah faction, which is anticipated to field many competing election lists due to ongoing issues.
Though the planned alliance has not yet been officially revealed, the talks are a sign of a fresh effort by Palestinian factions to influence the political landscape ahead of long-awaited parliamentary elections.
