By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that neither the legislative elections nor the presidential elections would be held in the Palestinian territories before the end of the Gaza coup perpetrated by Hamas.
“The people will say their word soon in the early legislative and presidential elections that will be held after Hamas ends its military coup in the Gaza Strip,” Abbas said in a Popular Front for Liberate Palestine (PFLP) rally in Ramallah.
He stressed that the elections would be held “only when the wings of the homeland (Gaza and West Bank) are unified.” Abbas also condemned Hamas “suppression” policy in the Gaza Strip, calling for a general strike in Gaza on Sunday to protest “Hamas militias’ violations against innocent people.”
Senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leaders also called on Friday for a general strike on Sunday to protest the arrests of three senior Fatah and PLO members by Hamas security forces.
On Tuesday, Hamas banned the prays in public and open sites in a preventive measure against opposition, mainly Fatah’s, rally or demonstration.
Hamas’ ban on public prayers drew criticism from Fatah and some other Islamic clerics, who deemed it as non-Islamic.
Hamas movement, listed by Europe and the United States as a terrorist organization, took control of the Gaza Strip in mid June after it defeated security forces and Fatah militants loyal to Abbas and ousted them from Gaza.