In letter to Biden, PA and Hamas commit to two-state solution on 1967 lines

Ahead of May and July votes, factions commit to respect results and to peaceful transfer of power afterward if necessary; memorandum also asserts PLO as the sole legitimate representative for the Palestinian people
Elior Levy|
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The Palestinian Authority (PA) sent an official letter to the White House claiming that all factions, including Hamas, were committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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    • The letter was delivered by Hussein Al-Sheikh, the PA's Head of the General Authority of Civil Affairs, to U.S. President Joe Biden's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr.
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    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and then Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, left,     Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and then Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, left,
    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) and former Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas
    (Photo: AP)
    The provisions listed in the memorandum were all agreed upon during a meeting of the various Palestinian factions in September.
    The letter also stated that all the factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, were committed to international law standards, that the PLO is the political umbrella and the legitimate sole representative for the Palestinian people and that the results of the Palestinian elections will be respected and that a peaceful transfer of power will take place afterward if it may occur.
    The memo also asserted the factions' continued commitment to "popular peaceful resistance" until a Palestinian state is founded.
    With parliamentary and presidential elections set to take place on May 22 and July 31 respectively, more than 2.6 million Palestinians registered last week on the electoral rolls - over 93% of eligible voters.
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    ארכיון 2010 ג'ו ביידן אז סגן נשיא ארה"ב עם אבו מאזן ב רמאללה    ארכיון 2010 ג'ו ביידן אז סגן נשיא ארה"ב עם אבו מאזן ב רמאללה
    Then-U.S. VP Joe Biden meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2016
    (Photo: AP)
    The memorandum reinforces the assessment that the elections within the PA are meant to rebuild relations between Ramallah and the new U.S. administration.
    On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree ordering to lieft all sanctions on freedom of expression ahead of the elections, banning all police pursuits and detentions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for "reasons related to freedom of expression and political affiliation," with prisoners held on such justifications to be freed.
    Hamas welcomed the order, allowing their movement to campaign in the West Bank.
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