Hamas accuses Abbas of blocking local elections to protect Fatah

A month out from the local elections scheduled for Oct. 8, the Palestinian High Court of Justice in Ramallah suspended the contest over the impossibility of holding the vote in East Jerusalem in addition to other procedural problems, including that courts in Gaza have been considering Hamas' complaints against the Fatah lists.

The local Palestinian elections were suspended after the Palestinian Central Election Committee received 163 objections to many of the electoral lists in the West Bank and Gaza. The committee rejected 158 of the appeals and took action on seven, banning those candidates from participation. The objections were mainly presented by Hamas to disqualify Fatah’s lists in the West Bank city of Tulkarm and four cities in the Gaza Strip — Beit Hanoun, Um al-Nasser, Zahra and Nuseirat.

Fatah made no attempt to hide its pleasure with the suspension. Amal Hamad, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told the press Sept. 9 that postponing the elections was a victory for Jerusalem and constitutional legitimacy. She accused Hamas of stifling democratic progress, as its courts in Gaza are not seen as legitimate amid the political division.

Faisal Abu Shahla, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, “Suspending the elections was to the detriment of Fatah, which was seeking to compete in the electoral process, as our electoral lists have higher chances of winning. However, Hamas continued to try to disqualify our lists in the Gaza courts, indicating that the judiciary in Gaza is biased toward Hamas. Fatah has contacted Hamas to suggest both sides drop their appeals, but the latter insisted upon them. Hamas could have participated in the elections without any obstacles, but it had been objecting to our candidates for flimsy reasons, which prompted the court to issue its ruling without any pressure on our part.”