Some Hamas members in West Bank fret over elections
Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and West Bank express contrasting positions about participating in the Palestinian elections in light of the hard security conditions Hamas members are subjected to in the West Bank.
Not everyone in Hamas is comfortable with the prospect of Palestinian elections, at least not under current conditions in the West Bank.
Hamas recently agreed to several conditions outlined by the Palestinian Authority (PA) so that presidential and legislative elections can be held in the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and the West Bank. Hamas has laid out conditions of its own, and there's no guarantee that PA President Mahmoud Abbas or his Fatah party will agree to the stipulations.
Hamas administers the Gaza Strip, but the rival Fatah and PA control the West Bank. Some Hamas members and activists have expressed concern about the concessions Hamas made and how members in the West Bank could be affected by the elections.
On Oct. 28, Hamas leaders reversed their previous position and said Abbas can proceed to set dates for the elections before all the concerned parties meet to discuss such demands, along with procedures and technical items.
