Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas. (Maan Images)

Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely.

IPS spoke with Dr. Mahmoud Ramahi, a neurosurgeon and secretary-general of the PLC, on the political deadlock.

Q: You spent three years in an Israel jail and were released last year. What were you held for?

A: I, together with 47 other Hamas members and elected parliamentarians of the PLC, were arrested by the Israelis following Hamas taking control of Gaza in June 2007 and the capture of an Israeli soldier by Gaza-based fighters. We were not charged with anything specific other than being Hamas members.

Q: The PLC's four-year term expired on Jan. 25 with no new elections in the pipeline despite the activities of the PLC being frozen since Hamas' takeover of Gaza. How do you assess the current situation and what happened when you tried to hold a press conference several days ago addressing the issue?

A: Local media outlets were pressured by the Palestinian Authority (PA) not to allow us to hold the press conference on their premises. We held the conference instead in our offices.

After this members of our staff were arrested by PA security men who trumped up false money laundering charges against them. I myself was followed by several security vehicles but not arrested due to my parliamentary immunity.

Our staff was eventually released at midnight and the charges were dropped following pressure from Fatah PLC members in Gaza who feared that reciprocal measures by the Hamas authorities there would be taken against them.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree saying no new presidential or legislative elections will be held in the near future despite issuing one last year stating that these would be held in January this year.

Q: Abbas has said that until Hamas signs an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation agreement there will be no elections. Why is Hamas refusing to sign the document?

A: We have three conditions for signing the document. The political arrest campaign against Hamas members in the West Bank must cease. All West Bank Hamas members dismissed from their employment on the grounds of political affiliation must be reinstated, and new elections should have been held on Jan. 25. The PA agreed to these conditions during last year's unity talks.

However, following U.S. envoy to the Mideast George Mitchell's visit to Cairo last year the Americans applied pressure on the PA and Abbas then reneged on the agreement.

The PA stated they no longer had the funds to reemploy dismissed Hamas employees. They further stated that any future election committee could only comprise Fatah members. These circumstances are obviously unacceptable to us after we won the last elections which were both free and fair.

To read the full article please visit Inter Press Service.