Hamas plans to run in upcoming Palestinian elections, names Al-Aqsa Mosque core priority - report

Hamas intends to participate in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections, a senior official from the group announced. Hussam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, stated that the organization would join the elections as part of a broad national coalition.

These elections, scheduled for November 28, mark the first in 20 years since Hamas won a majority in January 2006. Badran described the elections as a "historic opportunity to bring about change in the Palestinian situation and end the state of unilateral decision-making." He noted that most Palestinian factions, including Hamas, oppose conditions based on political positions for participation, such as formally recognizing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

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a historic opportunity to bring about change in the Palestinian situation and end the state of unilateral decision-making in the national decision that has continued for two decades.

Despite criticizing the delay in holding elections, Badran also claimed they are occurring without national consensus. He emphasized that Hamas's priorities remain the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. The mosque, located on the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, has been a focal point of rising tensions. Arab and Muslim nations have condemned increased Jewish worship at the site, which Hamas accuses Israel of exploiting the Gaza war to alter.

Badran asserted that Al-Aqsa Mosque represents the core of the conflict with Israel. The Temple Mount, housing the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, is managed by the Jordanian Waqf, with Israel handling overall security. Current arrangements permit non-Muslim visits but officially prohibit prayer, though Jewish prayer there is increasingly viewed as incitement.

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the mosque represented the core of the conflict with Israel