Middle East Monitor / February 10, 2021
The Palestinian resistance factions announced the launch of a “joint emergency room” in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. They said that this move is a follow up to the political developments related to the elections.
In their statement, the factions pointed out that the elections are a national duty in order to rearrange Palestinian politics. They stressed the importance of the “independence” of the Palestinian judiciary which will have oversight of election issues and called upon Mahmoud Abbas to cancel his latest presidential decrees related to the judicial authority as well as the dissolution of the Constitutional Court.
The groups reiterated the importance of partnership and political work which should not exclude any individual or party so that there is a positive atmosphere around the elections in Gaza and the West Bank. This should include an end to restrictions on people’s freedoms, resolving the issues affecting civil servants in Gaza whose salaries were cut by the Palestinian Authority, and the resumption of stipends for the families of martyrs, those who have been wounded, and prisoners held by Israel.
In closing, the factions called for “real and transparent” guarantees for the elections, not least that Jerusalemites will be allowed by the Israelis to take part and that the election results will be respected.
