Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has approved calling presidential and legislative elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli media reports, Haniyeh said he has met with Chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasir, who updated him of Abbas's approval.
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Hamas' leader also revealed that the two discussed the guidelines and details of the electoral process, which Haniyeh described as "real reconciliation."
Meanwhile, Palestinian Central Elections Commission official Hisham Kahil told Palestinian media that Abbas would soon pave the way to legislative elections by issuing a decree to formalize the process.
Soon afterward, the PA is expected to hold presidential elections, Kahil said, saying the vote will most likely take place in February.
According to Saudi daily Asharq Al Awsat, the PLO and Hamas are not expecting Abbas's move to succeed in Gaza or in eastern Jerusalem.
However, following Haniyeh's remarks, there may have been a breakthrough in negotiations.
The last Palestinian elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza in 2006, when Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, won the parliament. In 2007, the terrorist group usurped control of Gaza via a military coup, forcing Abbas and his Fatah supporters out of the enclave and effectively splitting the Palestinian Authority in two.
Since then, two elections were announced but eventually canceled due to "differences of opinion" between Hamas and Fatah.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS
