Abbas: Palestinian polls on schedule

Interviewed by Aljazeera on Saturday, Mahmoud Abbas said he expects the Israeli government to accept the holding of elections in Jerusalem in accordance with the terms agreed on by the Palestinian and Israeli authorities during the 1996 vote.

On the issue of Hamas's participation in the polls, Abbas said the democratic option could not be partitioned, and whoever emerges victorious in the election will become a member of the legislative council, but on the basis of the existing authority which in turn is based on the Oslo accords and the peace option.

Israel has already made clear that it will not allow campaigning in East Jerusalem by Hamas, which has carried out the majority of attacks against Israel in the past five years and refuses to recognise Israel.

"Hamas is now participating in the elections according to a certain basis, and not any other basis from the past," Abbas said in the interview.

"If Hamas wants to participate in the government, it has to abide by this basis ... upon which we (the Palestinian leadership) returned (from exile) to Palestine in 1994, based on the Oslo accords," he said.

Oslo as basis

"We returned on the basis of the Oslo accords which rule the legislative council and all the agreements that took place afterwards between us and the Israelis, and subsequently the
roadmap," Abbas said.

"So whomever wants to participate in this government has to do so on this basis," he said.

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