JERUSALEM
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would hold presidential and legislative elections once he receives a written request in this regard from Palestinian faction Hamas, former US President Jimmy Carter said Saturday.
He added at a press briefing at a hotel in Jerusalem that Abbas asked him and the members of his delegation to bring this written request from Hamas.
Carter and his delegation – which consisted, among other people, of the former prime minister of Norway – paid a visit to Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Israel.
He was scheduled to visit the Gaza Strip, but cancelled out the visit, citing security considerations.
He said he and his delegation members requested to meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, but the Israeli President turned down the request.
Carter said what he and his delegation members heard and saw during their visit to the Palestinian territories made them more determined to work for peace.
They called for taking "serious" steps for ending the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The delegation added in a statement that the two-state solution could bring about just and permanent peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The delegation spent three days in the Palestinian territories and Israel. It is expected to leave later on Saturday.
Gaza has been suffering under an all-out Israeli blockade since 2007.
The blockade has deprived 1.9 million residents in the coastal territory of almost all basic needs.
