The takeover confined Abbas’ authority to parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The statement issued after the Cairo talks said rank-and-file Palestinian police in the West Bank and Gaza — seen as less beholden to the factions than other security forces — would guard polling sites. It also said Abbas would decree an elections court with representatives from the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem to adjudicate any disputes. Rights groups have accused both the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Hamas of cracking down on dissent. The Palestinians want to hold elections in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories seized by Israel in the 1967 war that they want for their future state.

Source: Egypt Independent February 09, 2021 19:18 UTC