Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Spokesman For Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: 'We Keep In Contact With Hamas; After The War, We Are Ready To Hold General Elections; In The Past, The President Transferred The Authority To Hamas When They Won The Elections'

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas discussed relations with Hamas in a January 28, 2024, interview on Al-Arabiyah Network (Saudi Arabia). He said that Fatah keeps in contact with Hamas and that all Palestinians should be united under the leadership of the PLO and President Abbas. Abu Rudeineh said that the Palestinian Authority is "waiting for the aggression to end," in order to head towards general elections. He went on to say that in the past, the Palestinian president handed authority over to Hamas after it won the elections.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh: "The main war is now an attempt by Israel and the United States to annihilate the Palestinian people, to thwart their national enterprise, and to make them lose Jerusalem. And the main goal is to stop the war and reach a ceasefire."

Interviewer: "Did you contact Hamas leaders this past week, yes or no?"

Abu Rudeineh: "Yes, there were contacts. There are contacts. The contacts have not stopped, but they are all focused on the need for the Palestinians to be united behind the Palestinian Liberation Organization, so that we can face the world, and [stop] it from following imaginary plans here and there. We say to everybody, with no exception, that the Palestinian people are united on the ground, as well as in their political decision. The leadership belongs to the PLO and President Mahmoud Abbas, and we are waiting for the aggression to end, and we are ready to head toward general elections. There were general elections, in which Hamas won, and the president handed the authority over to it. Despite this, we do not want to reopen old wounds."

Interviewer: "When you contacted the leaders of Hamas and consulted with them about this, according to the leaks…"

Abu Rudeineh: "I will not go into details with you. I just want to make it clear that the Palestinians are united on the ground, and they should now unite behind their leadership. We should all speak in one language, in the name of the Palestinian Liberation Organization."