03 May 2021; MEMO: Senior Fatah official and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Qudwa has criticised Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas's postponement of the general elections, announcing that he may create a new Fatah current, Shehab News Agency reported on Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with Shehab News Agency, Al-Qudwa stated: "Calling off the Palestinian elections is a mistake and an illegal decision, and it undermined a necessary democratic process."
He did not accept the pretext that the elections were cancelled because of Israel's rejection to hold them in Jerusalem. "The logic says that we have to go ahead without waiting for permission from Israel," he asserted.
Al-Qudwa, the head of the Freedom List, reiterated his partnership with the detained Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and indicated that they might form a new Fatah. "We will not go home," he declared, pointing out that cancelling the elections will not force them out of the political arena.
"We have to form a new current inside Fatah to reform the traditional movement," he explained, noting that many Fatah officials and members may quit. "Fatah should not chop the heads of its members and leaders who do not agree with the movement's leadership."
Al-Qudwa stated that he is ready for reconciliation with the mother movement on condition of reforming it based on national interests.
Al-Qudwa hailed Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh's call to hold a comprehensive national dialogue: "We are working to have a united national decision shared among all."
Concluding his interview, he stressed that the elections must be held before the end of the year, highlighting that the majority of Palestinians want to exercise their rights and choose their leaders.
