Arresting and summoning the candidates for the Legislative Council elections, especially the "Jerusalem Our Destination" list, is blatant interference in the internal Palestinian affairs, and an attempt to form a stumbling block before the electoral process to influence it and prevent it from taking place, the member of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, Hussam Badran, said.

Badran added in a statement on Tuesday that Hamas is following Israel’s persistent insistence on carrying out arrests, the last of which was the arrest of the candidate for the Jerusalem Our Destination, Mr. Hassan Al-Wardian, and the summoning of its former candidate, Sheikh Mohammad Abu Tir. Besides, Hamas is conducting wide contacts with regional countries and international parties calling for pressure on Israel to top all forms of interference in the electoral process and release the detainees.

Badran called on the Palestinian Authority to address the international community, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the relevant UN organizations in this regard and urged them to intervene to force Israel to stop tampering with the democratic process by putting pressure on it.

He affirmed Hamas’ adherence to the elections and their holding, no matter how Israel tried to disturb them by arrests and summons.