An ad hoc committee affiliated with the Palestinian Authority (PA) banned the Hamas Movement from taking part in local elections held to choose members of the popular committee in al-Arroub refugee camp north of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.
In the absence of Hamas 13 Fatah activists led by former preventive security officer Ahmed Abul-Khairan were elected as members of the popular committee.
A spokesman for Hamas in al-Arroub camp told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that his Movement had asked to present its candidates for the popular committee but officials from the PA and the Fatah-controlled Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declined their request.
The spokesman added that Hamas officials conducted contacts with PLO and Fatah leaders in Ramallah and the camp and their rejection in this regard was very clear.
Senior Fatah official Jamal Muhaisen who attended the election in the camp also told Hamas officials that their Movement was not allowed to fight the elections of the popular committees in Palestinian refugee camps at the pretext that it has no representation in the PLO.
Hamas for its part strongly denounced such position affirming that it is an influential national resistance faction in the Palestinian arena and won two-thirds of the seats of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the 2006 parliamentary elections.
