Roundup: Leftist parties slam High Court decision to suspend local elections

The Palestinian leftist Democratic Coalition slammed Thursday night the High Court decision to suspend the local elections in Palestinian territories.

The coalition, which comprises five main left wing political parties, said the decision would also block the general elections and hinder the democratic life.

The five parties include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA), the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) and the Palestinian People's Party (PPP).

They planned to run for elections together and called for removing the main obstacles to the local council elections across the West Bank and Gaza.

"The most dangerous thing about this decision is that it takes away the right of the Palestinian citizens to choose their representatives and halts the democratic practice," PNI Secretary General Mustafa Barghouti said.

Meanwhile, PPP Secretary General Bassam Salhi said the move "reflects the depth of the crisis of the political system, mainly due to the internal division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 2007."

"The Palestine Liberation Organization bodies must be activated, including the National Council, which is considered the highest legislative body of the Palestinian people," he said.

The Palestinian High Court in Ramallah ruled on Thursday to stop the procedures for holding municipal elections slated for Oct. 8.

The ruling came after a special session at the High Court, based on an appeal presented by Palestinian attorney Nael Al-Hooh.

Al-Hooh told the reporters that the court "ordered to stop the elections in its announced date until it comes to a final decision regarding the motion presented to cancel elections."

"The basis of the objection is against not including East Jerusalem in the call for holding the elections and against the status of court houses in Gaza," said Al-Hooh.

As a result of the court ruling, the Central Elections Commission announced "immediate cessation of all electoral activities which commenced two months ago."

Mahmoud al-Zahar, top Hamas leader in Gaza, told Xinhua by telephone that the court ruling is "political, but illegal."

Under a cabinet decision issued on June 21, the Palestinians are now preparing to hold local elections on Oct. 8 to elect local governing bodies such as municipalities and village or town councils.

Observers and law experts warned that this decision would weaken the local bodies, since the local governing councils will become care takers.

Issam Abdeen, a law professor at Birzeit University, said this court ruling "means the end of the road for the Oct. 8 elections, because the entire electoral process has been obstructed."

He also said the hearing session on Sept. 21 is unlikely to bring anything new.

The Islamic Hamas movement has ruled over the Gaza Strip ever since 2007, when the Islamic group violently seized control of the coastal enclave following weeks of internal fighting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces. Efforts have so far failed to end the feuds between the two rivals.

Both Hamas leaders and Abbas have been trading accusations over who is responsible for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, despite an agreement to form a technocrat consensus government in June 2014.

Hamas agreed to hand over control of official ministries to the Palestinian government, but insisted on keeping security control of Gaza in its hand.

The last time Hamas campaigned for local elections in the Gaza Strip and West Bank was in 2004 and 2005.

The Palestinian National Authority held local elections in October 2012, but Hamas did not participate, saying the internal split should be ended before holding elections. Endit