Group Platforms for Palestinian Elections
The Fatah party wants to resume negotiations with Israel to achieve an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. The militant Islamic group Hamas has sent mixed messages about talking to Israel — sometimes rejecting it and at other times not ruling it out. Hamas advocates Israel’s destruction, but at the same time says a long-term truce might be possible. Two independent parties, Independent Palestine and the Third Way, favor negotiations with Israel. Full Story