GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued on Saturday a decree ordering respect for freedom of expression before the legislative elections in May, a measure required by Palestinian factions that discussed the polls in the negotiations held in Egypt In this month.
The decree dispels some of the doubts that obscure what would be the first Palestinian national elections in 15 years, although other obstacles remain. Both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have a long history of oppression by their critics and it is unclear to what extent this decree would be honored.
In a subsequent decree, Abbas allocated seven seats for Christians on the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council. The PLC, which Abbas dismissed in 2018, had six representatives of Christians, who represent 1% of the Palestinian population.
The presidential decree prohibits all police harassment and arrests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by rival group Hamas, for “reasons related to freedom of expression and political affiliation”. Prisoners detained for such reasons must be released, the decree says.
The May 22 elections are expected to be the first in the Palestinian territories since the Hamas militant movement won the last vote in the Palestinian territories in 2006.
A year later, the Islamic group fought deadly street battles with pro-Abbas forces, culminating in Hamas taking control of Gaza and separating it politically from Israel’s occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority runs autonomous enclaves.
During 14 years of division, human rights groups have accused Hamas and the PA of cracking down on opponents and opponents on each side.
Hamas called for the suspension of all politically related prisons in the West Bank, and Abbas’s Fatah party demanded the same in Gaza.
The call for elections came in response to a series of crises facing Fatah and Hamas that have weakened the position of the Palestinian cause on the turbulent regional and international spectrum. The PA is fighting the financial crisis and the failure to reach a peace agreement with Israel to create a Palestinian state. In Gaza, Hamas maintained power under a paralyzing blockade between Israelis and Egyptians, which sought to isolate it and weaken its weaponry, rendering it unable to provide the least basic services.
Palestinian factions are heading to Cairo next month for another round of negotiations in an attempt to resolve thorny issues that have prevented them from repairing their split, including security, officials, the judiciary and the expansion of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.