MP Barghouthi castigates Abbas for calling for elections in WB only

MP Barghouthi castigates Abbas for calling for elections in WB only

 


RAMALLAH,  MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi has described PA chief Mahmoud Abbas”s call for early general elections in the West Bank without the Gaza Strip as “insane and a crime”.


 


Barghouthi in a statement on Friday warned of not holding the elections in all Palestinian areas or else he said it would be serving the “Zionist scheme aimed at endorsing the complete separation of the West Bank from the Strip”.


 


He also warned of tampering with those elections, and stressed that extending Abbas”s tenure would weaken his position before Israel that would spread doubts about the presence of a leadership capable of representing all Palestinians.


 


The MP proposed formation of a transitory national government that would prepare for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections and that would ensure integrity of those elections.


 


He also advocated reducing the number of PA security apparatuses and re-building them on national basis away from partisan influence and away from security coordination with Israel.


 


Barghouthi said that the PLO should be radically reformed on the basis of allowing the representation of all Palestinian factions and forces.


 


Any Arab initiative should help the Palestinian people in face of foreign pressures, the lawmaker said, and urged Egypt to benefit from earlier mediation efforts to heal the inter-Palestinian rift.


 


Tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip constituted an attempt to break the Palestinian people”s determination, Barghouthi said and asked the Arab League to issue a unanimous decision to open the Rafah border terminal and break the siege on Gaza.